Hungarian Village Bans Mosques, Muezzins, Burkinis

Local Editor

The far-right mayor of a Hungarian village said councilors had voted to ban the construction of mosques and the activity of muezzins, as well as the use of veils and headscarves like burqas, chadors and burkinis worn by Muslim women.

Asotthalom mayor Laszlo Toroczkai said the ordinance was adopted to defend the village's "community and traditions" from any EU scheme to resettle asylum-seekers among the members of the 28-nation bloc.

The southern village is on the border with Serbia and had been a major entry point into Hungary for migrants on the Balkan route trying to reach Western Europe.

Toroczkai was an early advocate of building border fences to stop the migrant flow. The Hungarian government put them up along the borders with Serbia and Croatia in late 2015.

In August, France imposed a similar ban.

A majority of mayors who had banned burkinis in about 30 French coastal resorts are refusing to lift the restrictions despite the country's highest administrative court ruling that the bans are illegal, leaving the state facing a dilemma about how to react.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team