Author:
Publication: Expatica.com
Date: September 15, 2011
URL: http://www.expatica.com/nl/news/local_news/dutch-burqa-ban--maximum-fine-to-be-380-euros_175687.html
Women wearing the Islamic burqa full body
cloak or niqab face veil in public will soon be subject to a maximum fine
of 380 euros. The planned measure is to be discussed by the Dutch cabinet
on Friday.
A 'burqa ban' formed part of the minority
Dutch government's programme agreed with the populist Freedom Party PVV on
whose parliamentary support the cabinet relies.
The senior partner in the coalition, the conservative
VVD, is in favour of a general ban on people wearing clothes that cover the
face including not only burqas but also balaclavas and helmets with opaque
visors. On the VVD website, it is argued that people can find such clothing
threatening.
The Christian Democrats are the smaller party
in the coalition and say: "Clothing covering the face makes it harder
to indentify people, hinders communication and makes people feel less safe".
From 2007, the PVV has called for a 'burqa
ban' punishable by higher fines and even imprisonment. It describes the garment
as "an expression of the rejection of the West's core values".
It is estimated that about 150 women in the
Netherlands always wear the burqa or niqab when they go out in public. A maximum
of a few hundred women wear the garments occasionally.