Human rights judges uphold Belgian ban on Islamic veil

EUROPEAN judges upheld a ban on Islamic face veils in Belgium yesterday, insisting the law was necessary to encourage different faiths ‘living together’.

The European Court of Human Rights said outlawing the niqab was necessary to promote life in a ‘democratic society’.

It comes after three women claimed their human rights were breached by the country’s veil ban. Backed by fines and up to a week in jail, it made it illegal to be in public ‘with a face masked or hidden, in whole or in part, in such a way as to be unidentifiable’.

In separate cases two Belgians and a Moroccan citizen said they freely chose to wear the niqab, which leaves only the eyes exposed. Judges heard that one of the women felt forced to stay at home as a result of the ban, while another bowed to pressure fearing she would be jailed.

But the court decided the rules provided for the ‘protection of the rights and freedoms of others’ and the ‘creation of the human relationships that were essential to life in society’.

Judges also relied on a previous challenge against a similar ban in France, which became the first country to ban the veils in April 2011.

In March, the court said employers were within their rights to sack staff for wearing Islamic headscarves.

That decision was criticised by campaigners and charities. Amnesty International accused the judges of opening a ‘backdoor to prejudice’.