Dutch to ban wearing of Muslim burqa in public
No "submission" for the Dutch.
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch government agreed on Friday a total ban on the wearing of burqas and other Muslim face veils in public, justifying the move on security grounds.
Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk will now draw up legislation which will result in the Netherlands, once one of Europe's most easy-going nations, imposing some of the continent's toughest laws against concealing the face.
"The cabinet finds it undesirable that garments covering the face -- including the burqa -- should be worn in public in view of public order, (and) the security and protection of fellow citizens," the Dutch Justice Ministry said in a statement.
The Netherlands would be the first European state to impose a countrywide ban on Islamic face coverings, though other countries have already outlawed them in specific places.
I can hear the outcry now about religious freedoms being legislated away. However the article states that the Netherlands already has laws limiting where a face covering can be worn, as well as France and Italy.
I question why those muslims who feel thier rights are infringed don't see that it is their own extremists who are causing all of this. Here in America the ACLU is uptight at Wal-Mart simply saying "Merry Christmas". They can't pray in schools, carry a bible and in some cases even talk about Jesus or wear a piece of Christian jewelry. Do you see Christians burning flags or threatening "infidels" en masse?
Since the murder of anti-immigration maverick Pim Fortuyn in 2002, the Dutch have lost a reputation for tolerance, pushing through some of Europe's toughest entry and integration laws.
Social and religious tensions have escalated in the last few years, exacerbated by the murder of film director and Islam critic Theo van Gogh by a Dutch-Moroccan militant in 2004.
Why is the burqa a big deal? Because those who most openly represent the ones wearing it give the world every reason to be suspect...
Labels: Christianity vs Islam, culture war, cultures and civilizations, Dutch, France, Italy, Muslim Veil, Netherlands
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