Swiss canton votes to ban burka Switzerland's Italian-speaking region of Ticino has voted to ban the wearing of full-face veils in public, in a move that will prevent Muslims wearing the burka or niqab. In a referendum on Sunday, 65.4 per cent of voters in Switzerland's southernmost canton backed the proposal, which was put forward by a former journalist named Giorgio Ghiringhelli. The ban must still be approved by the Swiss parliament before it can come into effect, but Mr Ghiringhelli hailed the vote as a demonstration of Swiss direct democracy to the world, adding that he saw the burka as a symbol of women's oppression. In this country, those who wish to integrate are very welcome, regardless of their religion. But those who reject our values and seek to create a parallel society based on religious laws and designed to be superimposed on ours, are not," he said. Switzerland's Islamic Central Council said it "greatly regretted" the vote and warned against growing Islamophobia in the Alpine nation. "The council views this populist demand as part of a series of attempts to make life increasingly unpleasant for Muslims in Switzerland, and to banish Islamic elements from the public sphere," the group said. The fact that an unnecessary and ill-conceived initiative by the populist Mr Ghiringhelli has received such support shows how far the underlying Islamophobic trend has spread into society. Precisely what the penalty will be for those who breach the new rules - which were opposed by almost all Ticino's political parties - has yet to be agreed. The burka has become the subject of debate in several European countries in recent years, with both France and Belgium introducing bans. However, the decision in Ticino is the first to have been taken directly by a popular vote. Switzerland is home to around 400,000 Muslims - or around 5 per cent of the population. In Ticino, though, just 2 per cent of the population are Muslim, according to the Islamic Central Council. Over the last decade, Switzerland has successfully absorbed a steady stream of immigrants. However, the influx has not been welcomed by all corners of society, and hostility towards immigration has long been a central element of the political platform of Switzerland's largest party, the far-right Swiss People's Party. In 2009, politicians from the grouping were instrumental in forcing a referendum on banning the building of minarets. The proposal was backed by 57.5 per cent of voters.