People choosing to wear the veil as an expression of their faith may do so freely under Luxembourg law now and for the forseeable future, the country’s Justice Minister has confirmed.
Felix Braz said that there currently exists no national law banning on wearing the full veil in public in Luxembourg nor are their plans to legislate on the matter.
His words came in response to pressure from the CSV party to ban the wearing of the veil in public places, as has been done in France and Belgium.
While the matter is not banned by any national law, the wearing of the veil comes under communal regulations, which forbid people from covering their faces in public.
It is not clear, however, whether communes would pursue anyone wearing the full veil for breaching this local law.
According to the Luxembourg Shoura, a federation of Islamic faith communities, 16 women in Luxembourg currently wear the niqab, a partial veil, and it is thought that no-one wears the full body and face covering known as the burka.
The Shoura said that this number is in decline. In recent years, three women who wore the niqab left Luxembourg for family reasons.
Shoura member Mondher Labidi said: “During our meeting with the Prime Minister we explained that only 16 women are affected by the wearing of the niqab, that it concerns a minority within a minority, and that these women pose no danger and that their attire is not an attack on the freedom of others, but a way of expressing their faith.”