“Those who want to integrate are welcome, irrespective of their religion, but those who rebuff our values and aim to build a parallel society based on religious laws, and want to place it over our society, are not welcome,” he said at the time.
A ban on face veils worn by Muslim women has come into force in Ticino, an Italian-speaking region in southern Switzerland.
In 2013, the burka (niqab) ban received 65 percent of the referendum vote in the region, which has a Catholic majority and a 2 percent Muslim population. Those who refuse to comply will now face fines of up to 10,000 francs ($10,175).
Two prominent campaigners advocating Muslim rights protested the law by walking through the streets of Locarno, a resort city in Ticino, dressed in full Islamic dress on July 1, the day it was introduced. Nora Illi, a Muslim convert from Zurich, and Rachid Nekkaz, a French-Algerian businessman, were fined 10,000 francs and 200 francs ($204) respectively.
“Those who want to integrate are welcome, irrespective of their religion, but those who rebuff our values and aim to build a parallel society based on religious laws, and want to place it over our society, are not welcome,” he said at the time.
