Switzerland is holding a binding referendum on Sunday over whether to ban face coverings such as burqas and niqabs. Should the ban be introduced it would make it illegal for anyone to cover their face completely, in shops or outdoors.

What is the referendum about?

The proposal does not directly mention muslim headwear, known generally as the hijab, but the campaign clearly targets religious face veils and the referendum has been branded Islamophobic by opponents.

Red billboards of a woman wearing a black headscarf with the phrase "Stop extremism" have appeared in Swiss streets in a campaign led by several political parties including the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP).

"This [niqab-wearing] is something that we find shocking," said Jean-Luc Addor, an SVP MP and head of the French-speaking branch of the referendum committee. "It is fundamentally in opposition with various values of our civilization, simply because, for us, free people show their faces in all circumstances outside."

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The proposal predates the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen all adults forced to don masks in many settings to prevent the spread of infection. It gathered the necessary support to trigger a referendum in 2017.

It does not mention Islam directly, and also aims to stop violent street protesters and football hooligans wearing masks. Still, local politicians, media and campaigners have dubbed it the "burqa ban."

Why is the vote being held?

The proposal compounds Switzerland's tense relationship with Islam after citizens voted to ban building any new minarets in 2009. Two cantons already have local bans on face coverings.

Referendums are common place in Switzerland with at least two held almost every year as part of their commitment to direct democracy. If 100,000 signatories are gained on any one topic it can be put to a national vote. 

Muslims make up 5.2 percent of the Swiss population of 8.6 million people, with most having their roots in Turkey, Bosnia and Kosovo.

Swiss Muslims have said right-wing parties were using the vote to rally their supporters and demonize them, and others have warned a ban could stoke wider divisions.

"We are always being singled out as if we were submissive women, incapable to think or make our own choices," Ouissem Ben Mustapha-Bennour, a Muslim woman, said. "We made our choice... even if I don't wear the niqab, I also stand up for it, like I stand up for any other woman who chooses to wear or not to wear a garment – it's her choice."

France banned wearing a full face veil in public in 2011 and Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands and Bulgaria have full or partial bans on wearing face coverings in public.

Who is likely to win?

The government has recommended for voters to vote "no" in Sunday's referendum, but polls have indicated that the ban is likely to pass – just about.

Instead, the government has made a counter-proposal that would require people to show their faces to the authorities for identification. This will be automatically triggered if the ban is rejected.

The most recent poll from the gfs.bern institute, published on February 24, shows that 49 percent of Swiss people are expected to vote in favor of the initiative, while 47 percent are likely to oppose it.

Cover image: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP