Muslim Groups in Finland Voice Concern Over Proposed Ban on Face Coverings
The groups said they are watching the discussion with “great concern and disappointment,” Yle reported on Saturday.
The issue resurfaced last month after Social Security Minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen of the National Coalition Party wrote on social media that burqas and niqabs are “not suitable for Finnish classrooms.” Her comments followed a 2023 proposal by 15 Finns Party lawmakers calling for a nationwide ban on face coverings.
Interior Minister Mari Rantanen, also from the Finns Party, confirmed earlier this week that the government is considering whether such restrictions could be introduced during the current parliamentary term.
However, coalition parties remain divided. Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz of the Swedish People’s Party said he does not support a ban, pointing out that burqas are not worn in Finnish schools and that his ministry has received no reports of children using them.
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In their joint statement, Muslim organisations described the debate as “classic populism, an attempt to fish for far-right votes by creating an artificial problem out of a non-existent phenomenon.”
They stressed that the niqab and burqa are rarely worn in Finland, with most Muslim women choosing the hijab, which leaves the face uncovered.
“This statistical reality makes the entire ban discussion absurd,” the statement read. The groups also warned that such a measure would infringe on fundamental rights and risk fuelling discrimination.
Source: Agencies
