Deputy Minister-President of Bavaria and Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs and Media, Energy and Technology Ilse Aigner has recently proposed a national burqa and niqab ban. She used her experience from a recent visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran to underline that a law making it illegal to wear a burqa in Germany would not be unusual and that it should be passed soon. She told German newspaper Die Welt:

“When I went to Iran I followed the instructions of the country and wore a headscarf. Likewise I expect women from the Arab world that they don’t cover their faces when they come here. Such laws don’t just apply to people with German passports.” Bavaria has banned teachers from wearing burqas in schools in 2014, but in 2012 a report by the government came to the conclusion that a general ban on wearing burqas in public would be unconstitutional.

Opposition to the proposal now comes from retailers in Munich. Since the recent burqa ban in France, many female Arabian tourists have chosen Germany, in particular Munich, for their vacation and shopping destination. According to Merkur.de and a recent study, Arabian tourists spend some 40 percent of the money they spend in Germany in Munich! They spend an average 367 euros a day and stay in Munich for 12.5 nights. This means that the burqa ban would not only hurt retailers, but hotels as well.

"A burqa ban would affect parts of the economy, especially trade and tourism," Bertram Brossardt, chief executive of the Association of Bavarian Businesses told the SZ.