Austria has put in place a new law on Friday banning the wearing of full-face Islamic veil (burqas) in public places from October 1, 2017. The law which was approved by the Austrian parliament in May and signed into law recently by the president stated that anybody who breaks the law (banning of burqas) could be fined up to 150 euros ($168). Other measures include restriction on distribution of extremist material and immigrants being obliged to sign an integration contract (a 12-month integration programme which includes courses in values and German language). Failure to attend the 12-month integration programme would result in cuts to social security payments. The banning of the burqa or other clothing which conceal the face follows similar moves in other countries in the European Union, starting with France in 2011.
Source: Viewers Corner News.