HELSINKI: A 28-year-old woman wearing a face veil has become the first person in Denmark to be fined for violating a new law banning such garments in public places.

Danish news agency Ritzau reported that police were called to a shopping centre in Horsholm, a city of some 46,000 inhabitants close to Copenhagen, on Friday to confront a woman wearing a niqab garment covering her face.

The woman was slapped with a fine of 1,000 Danish kroner ($156) and requested to either remove the veil or leave the premises. She opted to leave.

Since Aug 1, the country’s much-debated “Burqa Ban” has prohibited full-body burqas, as well the niqab, a Muslim dress which only shows the eyes. Both are rare in Denmark. Other European countries have similar bans.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2018