Dutch Parliament Passes Partial Burqa Ban

A far-right Dutch politician and anti-Islamic activist Geert Wilders, whose Freedom Party lost the 2017 general elections by a sizable margin, has recently emerged victorious out of a bitterly fought legislative battle over burqas. On June 26, the Dutch Senate voted in favor of a partial ban on face veils.

Wilders was quick to shower the decision with praise on his Twitter page. “Finally, 13 years after a majority in the Dutch Parliament voted in favor of my motion to ban the burqa, it became law yesterday!” his Tweet said, surrounded with hashtags #stopislam #deislimize #freedom.

The new measure outlaws wearing face-covering apparel in government buildings, hospitals, educational institutions, and public transport. Streets are not covered. Depending on the circumstances, violations could result in a maximum fine of 380 euros (about $440).

Some supporters contend the law merely seeks to foster verbal communication – of which facial features are a part – and would stray short of targeting Muslim women by applying to ski masks and motorcycle helmets as well. Another argument in favor of the measure’s alleged “religion-neutral” nature is that Islamic garb not covering the entirety of face, such as the hijab, would be exempt from the ban.

One more consideration is public safety, which supporters of the ban hope to improve by making it easier to identify people. In 2016, Cannes, France’s world-famous resort and host city of the annual film festival, also cited security concerns while imposing a temporary ban on religious swimwear in response to a series of terror attacks in the country. The ban was later overturned in court on constitutionality grounds.

Freedom Party’s own Sen. Marjolein Faber-Van de Klashorst gleefully asserted the move marks the first step towards “[closing] all the mosques in the Netherlands.”

While the law is projected to effect 400 veil-wearing Dutch residents at most, critics make no effort to hide their disgust with what they think is a political point-scoring scheme designed to appeal to Europe’s rising anti-Muslim sentiment.

According to Annelies Moors, professor of Sociology at the University of Amsterdam, the ban augurs to be counterproductive as it would result in pious Muslim women staying at home instead of attending school, working, and interacting with the society-at-large.

Although the burqa ban was born in the Netherlands in 2005, it first spread throughout the European continent before returning home. In 2011, France and Belgium each instituted comprehensive burqa bans that have since been upheld by the European Court of Human Rights. Austria, Bulgaria, and Denmark – mostly under the leadership of far-right administrations – have each passed their own version restricting full face veils.

Featured Image via Flickr / Leggi Diritti