Quebec bans Muslim women full-face veils

Quebec has passed legislation banning Muslim women from covering their faces while receiving public services such as public transport.

Quebec has passed legislation banning Muslim women from covering their faces while receiving public services such as public transport.

On Wednesday, members of the provincial legislature voted 65-51 in favor of the legislation on religious neutrality, known as Bill 62, which mandates that citizens must uncover their faces while receiving or giving public services. 

Despite not referring to any manner of specific clothing, it effectually bans people from wearing burqa and niqab when interacting with the state. 

Bill 62 applies to provincial and municipal employees such as doctors, nurses, daycare workers, teachers and public transit workers. 

A member of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, Shaheen Ashraf, said she was “disturbed and unsettled and upset” by the new law, which makes Muslim women in Quebec feel targeted. 

Earlier this year, Austria’s ruling centrist coalition prohibited Muslim women from wearing full-face veils in public places like schools and courts.