海角大神

Following in the steps of lawmakers in France and Belgium, the Bulgarian parliament voted to ban facial coverings, or veils such as burqas, on Friday.

The new law potentially affects the 12 percent of Bulgaria鈥檚 population who are Muslim, many of whom are ethnic Turks. Women are now banned from wearing clothing that partially or completely covers the face.

Similar bans, such as France鈥檚 recent burkini ban, have faced opposition by those who say that they restrict a woman鈥檚 right to make personal choices about her clothing. Bulgaria鈥檚 government says that the law is not targeted, and is instead a public safety measure.

"The law is not directed against religious communities and is not repressive. We made a very good law for the safety of our children," said Bulgarian parliament member Kasimir Velchev, according to Reuters. 聽

Other countries have passed burqa and veil bans for similar reasons. One of the first to consider and approve banning the veil in public places was France, which introduced a law preventing women from wearing the burqa in 2010 due to a desire to protect French secularism and public safety. Belgium followed in 2011, citing similar reasons.

In 2015, the Dutch parliament also approved a burqa ban in areas such as schools, hospitals, transportation, and government buildings. Proponents of the ban said that the measure was a common sense safety measure, as it allowed all people to be identifiable at all times.

鈥淧eople have to be recognizable in such areas,鈥� said Afshin Ellian, a professor of jurisprudence and human rights expert at the University of Leiden in The Netherlands. 鈥淎nd anywhere in a free society, it is crucial that people are able literally to look each other in the face.鈥�

Most recently, several French cities and municipalities made the decision to ban the burkini, a full body swimming costume favored by many Muslim women, after recent terrorist attacks raised tensions in France. Local regulations in seaside communities such as Cannes stated that the burkini was a symbol of extremism, and an affront to France鈥檚 secular culture.

"Beachwear which ostentatiously displays religious affiliation, when France and places of worship are currently the target of terrorist attacks, is liable to create risks of disrupting public order," read Cannes鈥� regulations.

Critics of such restrictions on Muslim women say that European governments are curbing free speech and the free practice of religion.

"Women in Bulgaria should be free to dress as they please and to wear the burqa or the niqab as an expression of their identity or beliefs," said Amnesty International鈥檚 Europe Director John Dalhuisen.

In 2014, a European human rights court upheld France鈥檚 burqa ban, saying that the veil could sequester women off from the rest of society, and hinder the formation of interpersonal relationships.

The European Court of Human Rights wrote in its opinion, that:

France鈥檚 current burkini bans also faced legal challenges from human rights groups, with the bans eventually rejected by a French court.聽

Yet despite opposition, burqa bans continue to crop up across Europe, with similar laws under discussion in Austria, Switzerland, and Britain, as the refugee crisis brings more and more Muslim men, women, and children to Europe.

Nevertheless, lawmakers in many of the countries which have passed or are considering these bans say that their decision is not prejudicial, but instead based on civic ideals.

"We want to be able to look into peoples鈥� faces in our society," Austrian politician Heinz-海角大神 Strache said in a press conference.