In a move causing ripples across the nation, Portugal’s leader António José Seguro has implemented a new law that significantly restricts wearing face coverings in public spaces. This legislation, widely interpreted as targeting Muslim women, coincides with the recent approval by lawmakers. For further insight, refer to AFP.
Interestingly, the law doesn’t apply across the board. It acknowledges exceptions, allowing face coverings for specific reasons, such as health issues, professional needs, artistic expressions, and weather conditions. The restrictions also lift in places of worship, diplomatic sites, and during air travel.
Violations of this newly instated rule could come with a hefty price tag, ranging from 150 euros to a steep 3,000 euros, translating to approximately $175 to $3,500 in USD.
Women in Afghanistan, draped in burqas, line up patiently to receive food aid distributed by a non-governmental organization in a Kabul gymnasium on January 17, 2023. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)
Locally dubbed the “burqa law,” this measure officially surfaced in Portugal last month, following its legislative passage. As mentioned by AFP, it specifically relates to the full-body and face veils worn by some Muslim women, sparking significant discussion and debate.
The law bans sporting coverings meant to hide a person’s face or block identification in public areas and bans requiring someone to cloak their face due to gender, religion, age or origin, the report states.
Portuguese President António José Seguro is welcomed by France’s president for a working lunch ahead of their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris July 1, 2026. (Amaury Cornu/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)
“For the president of the republic, the uncovered face constitutes a structuring dimension of social trust, a characteristic of Portuguese society,” according to an English translation of a Portuguese-language press release.
“Social integration, non-discrimination based on gender and the security resulting from similar decisions by the European Court of Human Rights underpin this decision. The president of the republic shares this court’s conviction that the face is central to human identity and communication, serving as a minimum element for mutual recognition among fellow citizens.
“And to admit that women, and only women, must hide their entire faces implies an asymmetry incompatible with the values of parity and equal dignity between men and women, values that shape European democracies,” the release added.