Update: Continued Reaction to Dutch Cabinet Adoption of Burqa Ban

28 January 2012 Following last week’s announcement that the Dutch cabinet had adopted a ban on face coverings despite the grave reservations of the government’s advisory body and highest court, media coverage has reported a range of response. Radio Netherlands Worldwide reports that the chair of the police works council has criticized the ban as…

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Dutch Cabinet Passes Ban on Burqas

The Dutch cabinet has passed a ban on burqas in the Netherlands which would take effect from next year, making the Netherlands the second European Union country to ban the burqa after France. The ban is to apply in public spaces, to face covering clothing including the niqab, but also balaclavas and motorcycle helmets worn…

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Dutch Cabinet to Dedicate Funds to Victims of Honour Violence

February 4 2011 Following a pilot study of two shelters serving women persecuted in honour related violence, Deputy Welfare Minister Marlies Veldhuijzen van Zanten has announced she will earmark additional funds for these victims. The minister wants the funds to help identify the problems at an early stage and to help victims resume their normal…

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Dutch Cabinet Discusses Cost of Immigration

The Volkskrant reports that government ministers will discuss a request by Geert Wilders’ PVV party to calculate exactly how much non-western immigrants cost Dutch society. Ministers must decide how far they will go in their reply on this ‘sensitive issue’, which some political parties had hoped to ignore. Integration minister Eberhard van der Laan has…

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Dutch officials visit Dearborn, Michigan to learn about improving Muslim relations

Dutch officials visited the Dearborn area this week to discern why Muslims are more accepted in the United States than in the Netherlands. Dutch Cabinet Minister Francis Timmermans and an entourage of officials met with 35 local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian leaders at the Islamic Center of America. We are good at allowing people to…

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