On November 15, 2016, the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, announced her plan to ban burqas, which are worn by Muslim women. She stated that the veil is not appropriate in the country of Germany, and it takes away from German culture. Merkel had allowed more than one million refugees in Germany last year; however, her decison on the refugees is slowly losing support. Last New Year’s eve, there was a mass sexual assault in Cologne, Germany, committed by a majority of Syrian refugees. This had lead to rise of Islamphobia. Backlash of the refugees has caused Merkel to take a stand and propose a ban of burqas. Merkel continued saying that the burqa doesn’t fit in the liberal-minded society. She endorsed the law that bans Muslim women from wearing full-body coverings, similar to the ban in France.
France was the first country in Europe to ban burqas. France decided to take this stance after terrorist attacks in Paris, by ISIS. After the ban in France, countries like the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy followed. The most recent country showing interest in the proposal, Germany, will aid in the spread of this ban.