Hesse becomes first German state to ban Islamic face veil

BERLIN - A German state, Hesse, has become the first in the country to ban the full Islamic face veil for public sector workers.

The case was brought after a woman working for the city of Frankfurt said that she did not intend to reveal her face on her return from maternity leave.

The Daily Mail quoted Hesse Interior Minister Boris Rheinsaid as saying that it was ‘not acceptable’ for a teacher in Frankfurt to wear a face veil because “public sector workers are obligated to have neutral religious and political views.”

Germany has been experiencing an angry debate on multiculturalism, with many Germans voicing their concerns over immigration.

The paper quoted German Chancellor Angela Merkel as saying that multiculturalism had failed in her country, adding that the concept where people would ‘live side-by-side’ did not work and immigrants needed to do more to integrate.

Germany’s former central banker, Thilo Sarrazin, went a step further in saying that the culture of Islam does not allow Muslims immigrants to integrate.

“Muslims immigrants don’t integrate as well as other immigrant groups across Europe. The reasons for this are apparently not based on their ethnicity, but are rooted in their culture of Islam,’ he added.

Debates about ‘banning burkas’ became widespread across Europe after France banned the Muslim face veils.

Critics of a ban, however, believe that Western democratic values should allow Muslims to wear veils, otherwise such a move could cause troubles in Germany, which possesses a population of 4.1 million Muslims. (ANI)