Rabat- Spanish Minister of Interior Jorge Fernandez Diaz said on Wednesday that Spain would consider banning burqas (the full-face Islamic veil) as part of a package of planned new security reforms, according to Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
The Interior Minister, who was speaking at a press conference, said that the ban on Burqas could be included in Spain's Citizen Security Law. A draft bill that is yet to be passed in the country's parliament will include provisions banning people from hiding their faces in demonstrations, he added.
Other European countries, such as France and Belgium, have already prohibited the wearing of Burqas.
Diaz added that his Ministry could rule against the wearing of Burqas and other full-face veils on the grounds they made identification of people difficult. "I don't want to say a ban is necessary, but this could be a good moment to consider such a prohibition," the minister said.
Catalonia's regional government said in July that it would push for a ban on burqas after the European Union ruled recently that banning the full-face veils in public did not violate the human rights of Muslim women.
The Interior Minister of Cataluña’s autonomous government said at the time that the move had nothing to do with religion and would also include a ban on the public wearing of head and face coverings such as helmets and masks.
Many influential Muslim figures inside Spain voiced criticism to the Burqa banning bid describing it as "unnecessary" because its use is not widespread in Spain.
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