Burkas may be banned from public places in Germany

A partial burka ban proposal announced by officials in Germany's ruling coalition could prohibit the full body garment from being worn in schools, universities, nurseries, public offices, or while driving.

The partial ban has received the support of conservatives from German Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing bloc, but still needs parliamentary approval to become law.

The proposal is considered a compromise as it would ban the burka only in certain settings, as opposed to a total ban like the one in place in France — favored by some of Germany's right-wing politicians.

"We reject the full veil - not just the burka but the other forms of full veil where only the eyes are visible," said Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere on Friday, according to the BBC.

"It doesn't fit in with our open society. Showing the face is a constituent element for our communication, the way we live, our social cohesion. That is why we call on everyone to show their face," he continued.

"Whoever wants to work in public service cannot do so while wearing the full veil."

The minister's comments echoed the sentiments of Merkel, who said recently that "a fully covered woman has little chance of integrating in Germany."

De Maiziere's remarks come a day after he acknowledged that there may be constitutional issues with a banning the burka entirely, adding that as it stands, the proposal only looks to prohibit the veil in settings "where showing the face has a function," the Associated Press reported.

Calls for the ban have popped up in recent weeks amid discussions of how the country, reeling from two terror attacks last month that killed 20 people, will ramp up its security, and public concern over the hundreds of thousands of refugees that have flooded in through the borders over the past year.

Conservative interior ministers of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin, up against the nationalist, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party in next month's elections, are pushing the hardest.

But the issue has been divisive even within the party, with some saying the burka, which is worn by very few women in the country, is a distraction from real issues of domestic security.

"The security situation is so serious that we need to fully concentrate on internal security and not on symbolic topics," deputy leader Armi Laschet told Focus magazine on Friday.

Follow Tamara Khandaker on Twitter: @anima_tk