Barcelona becomes third Spanish municipality to ban burqa

Jun 14, 2010, 14:09 GMT

Barcelona - Barcelona will become the third municipality in Spain to ban the wearing of the Islamic all-body veil in public buildings, Mayor Jordi Hereu announced Monday.

The decree was expected to prohibit the use of the niqab, which covers the entire body except for the eyes, and the burqa, which includes a semi-transparent veil hiding the eyes.

The ban was not a religious issue, Hereu said. Non-religious attire covering the face, such as motorcycle helmets and ski masks, would also be outlawed in public buildings, he explained.

Two other municipalities in the north-eastern Catalonia region, Lleida and El Vendrell, have also banned the burqa and the niqab. Half a dozen municipalities are considering similar bans.

Barcelona is Spain's second-largest city, after the capital Madrid.

'I cover myself to feel closer to Allah,' said Zohra Nia, a 38- year-old Moroccan immigrant resident in El Vendrell, who wears the niqab.

Muslim critics of the burqa and niqab, however, say they are pre- Islamic traditions with no basis in the Koran.

However, the entire debate on the burqa is merely political point- scoring, given that there are very few burqas in Spain, according to Encarnacion Gutierrez from Madrid's Islamic Culture Foundation (FUNCI).