American Union Times & Papers 

          In a referendum, Switzerland has voted in favor of outlawing face covers, otherwise known as hijabs, in public areas. The vote was tight at 51.2% to 48.1% in favor of banning it. The people who voted in favor of the ban have said that the face coverings (which are most often worn by Muslims), is a threat to public safety given that no person can see the person’s appearance other than their eye color leading to security concerns.

         On the other hand, many Muslims around the world said that this is infringing on their freedom of religion. Switzerland is not the only country to have done this, Belgium has also banned face coverings. Although this is heavily debated throughout most of Europe, the tensions still remain high between freedom of religion and public security.