Sweden Democrats push for total ban on hijab in Sweden

Sweden Democrats are calling for a total ban on the hijab in Sweden, expanding their earlier push to prohibit the burqa and niqab in public spaces, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reports.

The party’s equality and honour-related violence spokesperson, Sara Gille, said those who wear such garments should leave the country if they refuse to remove them.

“Our position is that if you come within Sweden’s borders, you must take them off,” Gille said.

In a statement, the party argued that the garments represent a view of women that conflicts with Swedish values of freedom and equality.

“These are oppressive garments that are about women submitting to men. If we are to tackle honour-related violence and oppression, we must also remove these garments,” Gille said.

The party wants the issue investigated and dismisses concerns that a hijab ban could conflict with religious freedom.

“You can still have your religion, you can still believe what you want. But if we are to tackle honour-related violence and oppression, we must get rid of these garments,” Gille said.

Other parties in Sweden’s centre-right Tidö coalition have not proposed a total hijab ban. The Christian Democrats support banning the burqa and niqab, and also want to prohibit the hijab for girls in preschool and early primary school.

The Moderates are open to investigating a hijab ban in preschools and primary schools but do not support a general prohibition.

The Liberals oppose a general ban but support criminalising forced veiling. Jämställdhetsminister Nina Larsson (L) told SVT that burqas and niqabs “should be questioned” as they are oppressive and based on the idea that women should not be seen in public.

“For the Liberals, it is important that those who enforce religious oppression—such as forced veiling—are punished by society. That is why the government is introducing a ban on forced veiling on 1 July as part of the new law against psychological violence,” Larsson said.