German interior minister calls for partial burqa ban

BERLIN: German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere came out Friday in favour of a partial burqa ban amid a fierce national debate on integration.

"We agree that we reject the burqa, we agree that we want to introduce a legal requirement to show one's face in places where it is necessary for our society's coexistence -- at the wheel, at public offices, at the registry office, in schools and universities, in the civil service, in court," he said after a meeting with regional counterparts from his conservative party.