Italian Riviera to niqab in hospitals, public offices

A region in the Italian Riviera is going to ban women from wearing the Islamic full-face veil or niqab in hospitals and public offices, a media report said.

Officials in the northern region of Liguria announced plans to enforce the ban in what is described as an attempt to defend women's freedom, the Daily Mail reported.

If it is approved, it will become the latest case of traditional Islamic attire being prohibited after a number of bans on the burqa.

Regional president Giovanni Tot, said the burqa headscarf was "the worst symbol of the oppression of women".

Defending the ban, which has been accused of discriminatory, he told The Local: 'Those who live in Italy need to grasp and respect at least the minimum rules of equality between men and women.'

Last month, it was revealed Bavaria would ban the full-face veil in schools, universities, government workplaces and polling stations.

There has also been similar bans in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Norway.

--IANS

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