No, Switzerland has not 'de-recognized Islam' or banned the hijab

What is the claim? 

Social media users have claimed that Switzerland has banned the hijab (a head cover worn by Muslim women) and also refused to recognize Islam as an "official religion" via a referendum. This claim has been shared along with an image of two women standing next to a poster of a veiled woman with the text "No to the veil" in French. 

A Facebook user shared the image (archived here) with the caption: "Switzerland banned Hijab and no longer recognizes Islam as an official religion via referendum. Do you want the same referendum to be held in all European countries?” Archived versions of similar posts can be viewed here, here, and here. A similar claim on X (formerly Twitter) garnered over 45,000 views (archived here).

Screenshot of the viral posts. (Source: Facebook/ Modified by Logically Facts)

However, we found this claim to be false and the image to be unrelated to the claim. Switzerland does not have an official state religion, and the country in 2023 only banned full-face coverings like the niqab and burqa, not the hijab. 

Has Switzerland de-recognized Islam?

While Switzerland is a Christian-majority country, Article 15 of the federal constitution (archived here) states, “Every person has the right to choose freely their religion or their philosophical convictions, and to profess them alone or in community with others."

A screenshot of the Swiss federal Constitution. (Source: Fedlex)

The Swiss government website reaffirms this, declaring freedom of religion as a “fundamental right enshrined in the Federal Constitution.” While the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant Reformed Church are officially recognized as public corporations, regulated by each canton (state) as stated in Article 72, there is no evidence of a referendum or policy change that de-recognized Islam as an official religion in the country. 

The "chronology of referendums" on the government’s website also contains no popular votes around de-recognizing Islam. The latest referendum to be voted on, in June 2024, was about securing renewable energy supply. 

There is no official news or announcement from the government, nor is there a record of any such referendum passed recently.

Has Switzerland banned the hijab?

The hijab is not banned in Switzerland, but it is to be noted that in 2021, a referendum was adopted in the country to ban full-face coverings like the niqab, burqa, or bandannas. This referendum became a law after it was passed by the Swiss Parliament in September 2023, as reported by the Associated Press. 

The law prohibits covering the nose, mouth, and eyes in publicly accessible places, with some exceptions in places of worship or for safety reasons. However, this does not include the hijab. 

Where is the image from?

The text on the poster seen in the viral image translates to “No to the veil: Symbol of the Islamic patriarchy. We can see the text "Nemesis Collective" written at the bottom of the poster. The Nemesis Collective, or Collectif Némésis, in French, is a French feminist group that aims to “fight to defend Western women." Their Swiss chapter, formed in 2021, is known for demonstrating against the hijab, among other issues. 

A Google search led us to the group’s Instagram page, where we found a video (archived here) uploaded on January 10, 2024. The video's caption, in French, reads, "The Swiss section made a collage action denouncing the patriarchal symbol of the veil."

The video shows the two women in white and black jackets putting up the same poster of the veiled woman. However, neither the video nor the caption make any reference to a hijab ban. We found the photo to be unrelated to the claims.

A comparison of the image from the claim and a screenshot from the Instagram video where the two women can be seen. (Source: Facebook/ Collectif.nemesis/ Instagram)

Switzerland, which has no official federal religion, has not de-recognized Islam as an official religion through a referendum, nor have they banned the hijab. 

The verdict

Claims on social media that Switzerland de-recognized Islam through a referendum or banned the hijab are misleading. Switzerland has no official state religion, and only full face coverings like the niqab or burqa were banned in 2023, not the hijab.