AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The city of "Lleida" in northeastern Spain approved a ban on completely covering the face in most public places. An action that targets the Islamic burqa and niqab.
According to a report by the newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, unlike some European countries including France, Portugal, and Belgium, Spain has so far not had a specific national law to ban or restrict the use of these coverings that some Muslim women use.
History of the Niqab Ban in Lleida
The city of Lleida is the center of a province with a population of about 150,000 in the Catalonia region of northeastern Spain, and this city in 2010 had banned wearing the niqab, which covers the entire face, in some public places.
This action at that time was considered the first example of such a ban in Spain.
However, Spain's Supreme Court in 2013, following a complaint by an Islamic association, annulled this action.
The court announced that the mentioned ban was in conflict with religious freedom and exceeded the legal authority of local officials. The court also annulled similar measures that a number of other municipalities in Spain had approved.
Amending the Law to Prevent Judicial Challenge
At the recent meeting of the Lleida City Council, an amendment to the municipal law was approved with 16 votes in favor against 11 votes against.
This amendment has been drafted with the aim of preventing legal challenges and stipulates that presence or movement in public places with objects or elements that completely cover the face is prohibited.
In the text of the new law, no direct mention is made of the burqa or niqab.
What Is the Difference Between the Burqa and the Niqab?
The burqa is a one-piece covering that covers the head and the entire body. While the niqab is a covering for the face that usually leaves the eyes visible.
The new amendment has also considered exceptions. Including cases related to the exercise of fundamental rights, places of worship, and spaces or uses in which such actions are socially accepted.
Individuals who violate the new law will face a financial fine.
An Unusual Coalition to Pass the Ban
The Lleida municipality announced that the "Socialists' Party of Catalonia" in an unusual coalition with the far-right party "Vox" and the separatist party "Together for Catalonia" joined together to pass this measure.
"Fèlix Larrosa," the socialist mayor of the city of Lleida, in defense of this law at the city council meeting, said, "Coexistence means respecting one another, and mutual respect also means observing the law."
The approval of this amendment comes as the similar ban of 2010 had previously been annulled by Spain's Supreme Court due to conflict with religious freedom and local officials exceeding their authority.
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