Hawzah News Agency-The Swiss woman and a French-Algerian businessman are facing fines after defying the law, voted in by a 2013 referendum, in Italian-speaking Ticino, that banned face-covering headgear on its first day, July 1.

The two chose the moment to publically oppose the ban in the lakeside city of Locarno.

The law forbids burqas in shops, restaurants, or public buildings, with offenders facing a fine of up to 10,000 Swiss francs (around $10,280).

Nora Illi is a member of the Islamic Central Council Switzerland and she walked through the streets of Locarno wearing a full length burqa before police officers stopped her.

She was arrested along with Rachid Nekkaz, who has also openly protested similar bans in Belgium and France.

Illi, from Zurich who converted to Islam in 2002 and she faces a fine of between 100 and 10,000 Swiss francs.

Nekkaz said he would pay all of the eventual fines out of his own pocket to raise awareness of what he considers a discriminatory law.

France, the Netherlands, and Belgium have passed similar laws that in 2014 were upheld by the European Court of Human Rights.

Muslim's account for some 5 percent of Switzerland's 8.34 million total population numbering some 420,000.

Ticino borders Italy to the south and has some 350,000 residents, or about 4.2 percent of Switzerland's population.

The law makes no exceptions for tourists, The Local Ch reported.