The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the government of Switzerland’s rejection of a ban on hijab, or Islamic headscarves, in schools.
In a statement, Washington, D.C., based CAIR said:
“We stand in solidarity with the Swiss Muslim community, and we welcome the government’s decision to reject a discriminatory ban on hijab in schools. This decision affirms the fundamental right of religious expression. Freedom of religion includes the right to wear religious attire without fear of repression or marginalization.”
In 2023, CAIR condemned a decision by Switzerland’s lower house of parliament to ban the wearing of the face veil, often called the niqab or burqa, sometimes worn by Muslim women.
Yesterday, CAIR called on Portugal’s parliament to reject an Islamophobic bill that would ban the wearing of the face veil.
In August, CAIR condemned as ‘discriminatory and authoritarian’ a proposal announced by Austria’s integration minister to ban Islamic head scarves, or hijab, for girls under the age of 14.
Earlier this year, CAIR said that Islamophobia is “spinning out of control” in Europe after a Muslim woman was murdered in Germany and a mosque was burned during anti-immigrant riots in Spain.
CAIR also condemned the attempted arson of a Muslim prayer room in Châtillon-sur-Seine, France.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com