Zurich refuses to ban headscarf in schools

A motion put forward by the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) to ban headscarfs in schools and to not allow students to be dispensed from sport during Ramadan was refused on 4 January by the Zurich cantonal parliament in a vote of 104 against and 65 in favour of the motion.

The parliaments of Vaud, Fribourg and Neuchâtel  in the French-speaking part of Switzerland have yet to vote on the issue of headscarfs, although it is felt that the Zurich result might swing the outcome. A number of representatives from parties not known to sympathize with the SPP, namely Socialists in Fribourg and Vaud, are however against all signs of religious identification, including headscarfs, which they feel get in the way of a child’s integration.

Barbara Steinemann, the Swiss People’s Party deputy who put forward the motion, believes that the  surprising 57 per cent vote in favor of the ban on minarets by the Swiss population on 29 November has influenced a ‘political correctness’ backlash.  “Even Turkey bans headscarfs in schools” she regrets.