CORD WEEKLY: The Dutch parliament is considering a ban on the traditional Islamic garment worn by some women that covers the entire body
As per a Reuters report, of the approximately one million Muslims living in the Netherlands, 50 to 100 women currently wear the burqa. These women will soon be considered to be criminals if a proposed ban on this garment is cleared by the Dutch government.
The burqa is a robe-like outer garment worn by some women of the Islamic faith, which covers them from head to toe and only allows for a small opening for the eyes. It is worn by women outdoors and is only be taken off inside the household.
The Dutch parliament has voted in support of this proposal, and some of the government has shown approval for banning the burqa. Muslims are growing restless in response to this proposal, as the debate between social law and religious freedom intensifies with each passing day.
Some politicians in the Netherlands are linking the burqa to terrorism, saying that the Muslim population is sympathising with radical Islamists. The burqa covers the face from view, which is a concern for some members of parliament who want people to be identifiable in public.
A ban on this garment will certainly result in public unrest, especially since it brings up the issue of violating freedom of religion. In the city of Maaseik in Belgium, a burqa ban is already in place. Police in Maaseik have said that the ban is giving people reasons to resent society and making relations with the Moroccan community difficult.
BBC News interviewed MP Geert Wilders, the first Dutch MP to propose this ban. “It’s a medieval symbol, a symbol against women,” he said. Wilders is a prominent figure in this controversial issue, especially since he produced a film that has been labelled anti-Islam. Although the contents of this ten-minute film are not clear, Wilders tells BBC News that his film will show how the Koran is an inspiration for “intolerance, murder and terror.”
Wilders is the head of the Freedom Party, and ever since Dutch film director Theo Van Gogh was killed by a radical Islamist, Wilders has been under police protection. Van Gogh was killed in 2004 for his film, entitled Submission, which featured a naked woman with scripts from the Koran “tattooed” on her body.
A list pinned on Van Gogh’s corpse named Wilders as an infidel that deserved to be slaughtered. Wilders, however, is determined to release his film, despite warnings of retaliation from the Islamic community, even saying that he will release it on the Internet if no Dutch broadcaster will. Dutch MPs Pushing for Anti-Muslim Legislation >>> By Shagun Randhawa
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