A new law in Austria means there is a ban on full-face veils. This means Muslim will not be allowed to wear a full-face veil in in the country. The new law says must be visible from the hairline to the chin. The government said the law is to protect Austrian values. The law bans Muslim veils such as the burka or niqab. Muslim groups have said the law is very unfair because it goes against human and religious freedom. They say that just a minority of Austrian Muslims wears full-face veils. They put the at around 150. Officials say the law will Austria's economy. They say Muslim tourists will decide not to visit Austria.
Austria is the European country to ban the wearing of the veil. France and Belgium introduced bans in 2011. Other in Europe could follow. The Dutch government is working on passing a ban and German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that the full-face veil should be banned in Germany "wherever it is possible". Carla Amina Bhagajati of the Islamic Religious Community in Austria talked about how the new law is. She said the "" of fully veiled women in Austria are now "criminalized" and "restricted to their ". A supporter of the ban Emma Schwaiger said: "It's not that living here don't show their faces."
