Belgium moved one step closer to becoming the first European country to ban full Islamic veils from its streets on Wednesday. A parliamentary committee cast a unanimous landmark vote approving a proposed law that would outlaw the wearing of face-covering clothing in public such as Muslim burkas and veils.

The full Parliament will vote on the bill later in April; because it has the support of all five parties in Belgium’s coalition government, the proposal is expected to become law as early as June.

Under the proposed law, a woman wearing a veil or burka in public could face a week in prison or a fine on the grounds that an inability to identify people presents a security hazard, and that the garment is a “walking prison” for women.

Although 650,000 Belgians—6 percent of the population—are Muslim, it is estimated that fewer than 300 of these wear facial veils. But, in increasingly polarized Belgium, and Europe as a whole, the trend is on the rise.

While the wording of the proposal does not specifically mention burkas, its proponents make no effort to obscure the law’s primary target. “This sends a very strong signal to radical Islamists,” said left-wing member of parliament Denis Ducarme.

Daniel Bacquelaine, the bill’s primary promoter, said the law would help Muslims better integrate into Belgian society, explaining that Belgium desires to avoid following the “bad examples” of the Netherlands and Britain, where he said many Muslims lived in separate communities.

The Belgium move against the face-coverings comes as debates continue over banning the burka in France, Switzerland and Italy. A Financial Times survey from last month showed that, in the major countries of Europe, including Germany and the UK, a majority supports a burka ban.

For nearly two decades, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has discussed a prophecy in Daniel 11:40 about an end-time clash between radical Islam led by Iran (the “king of the south”) and a German-led European superpower (the “king of the north”). Europeans have been tolerant of Islam’s steady expansion in their society for most of these 20 years, but more recent headlines reveal that tolerance to be steadily evaporating: “Danish paper refuses to apologize over Muhammad cartoons” (2005), “Swiss minaret ban may signal new right-wing surge” (2009) and, most recently, “European countries ponder banning the burka” (2010).

Europe’s increasing efforts to protect its culture against Islam’s incursion show that the prophesied clash is just on the horizon. To understand more, read The King of the South and Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.