Excerpt:
It's been a month since a so-called burka ban took effect in Switzerland's Italian-speaking canton, Ticino. Except for two fines and a few warnings, it seems that little has changed there. In fact, tourism from Arab countries is up.
On day one of the ban – which prohibits clothing that covers the face – a Swiss woman who had converted to Islam provoked the first fine. A few days ago, police in Chiasso – just over the Swiss border – issued the second fine of CHF100 ($103). Police in Lugano, meanwhile, have intervened six times so far.
For example: "A woman came with her family for a day trip from Milan, and she simply didn't know about the ban," Lugano police lieutenant Franco Macchi told swissinfo.ch. "She apologised and removed her veil." She wasn't fined.