Burqa and naqab have no place in Denmark, says PM

COPENHAGEN: The face-covering burqa and niqab veils worn by some Muslim women have no place in Denmark, Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said on  Wednesday, adding his government was considering restricting them.

Rasmussen stopped short, however, of calling for a ban on the veils, noting “legal and other limits”. “The government’s position is clear: the burqa and the niqab have no place in Danish society. They symbolise a view of women and humanity that we totally oppose and that we want to combat in Danish society,” Rasmussen told reporters.

Denmark is “an open, democratic society where we look at the person to whom we are talking, whether it’s in a classroom or on the job,” he said. “That is why we don’t want to see this garment in Danish society,” he added. He said his centre-right government was “discussing ways of limiting the wearing” of the veils without violating the Scandinavian country’s constitution.

The PM’s comments came a day after the publication of a report which showed that use of the burqa was “extremely rare” in Denmark.  AFP