Dutch government proposes ban on wearing burkas in public
Last Updated: Friday, November 17, 2006 | 12:20 PM ET
The Associated Press
The Dutch government said Friday it plans to draw up legislation "as soon as possible" banning full-length veils known as burkas and other clothing that covers a person's entire face, in public places.
"The Cabinet finds it undesirable that face-covering clothing — including the burka — is worn in public places, for reasons of public order, security and protection of citizens," Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk said in a statement.
Basing the order on security concerns apparently was intended to respond to warnings that outlawing clothing like the burka, worn by some Muslim women, could violate the constitutional guarantee against religious discrimination.
In the past, a majority of the Dutch parliament has said it would approve a ban on burkas, but opinion polls in advance of national elections on Nov. 22 suggest a shift to the left, and it is unclear if a majority in the new parliament would still back the ban.
Once the Cabinet drafts the bill, it is sent to the 150-member legislature for enactment.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Employment Insurance review boards to be scrapped
- The federal government is scrapping two review boards used by people appealing decisions made about their employment insurance. more »
- Teens share bullying tales in confession booth
- Raw stories about bullying emerged when a video booth was set up inside a Quebec high school. more »
- Serial carjacker gets life term for fatal crash
- An Ontario judge was moved to tears while delivering a life prison sentence to a serial carjacker who killed a woman and injured five others after driving a stolen van into her car during a 2010 police chase. more »
- Canada ending 'Buffalo shuffle' for visas, closing consulate
- The federal government is shutting the Canadian consulate in Buffalo less than two years after costly renovations, while dropping a requirement for visas to be renewed outside the country, CBC News has learned. more »
Latest World News Headlines
- Reclaiming the dead on Mt. Everest
- The difficulty, danger and expense of removing the bodies of climbers who died in Mount Everest's "death zone" mean most of the dead remain on the mountain as a stark reminder to other climbers of the risks. more »
- Unloading of docked SpaceX capsule to start Saturday
- The privately bankrolled SpaceX Dragon capsule made a historic arrival at the International Space Station on Friday, and astronauts will begin unloading some of the 544 kilograms of food, water, clothing and other supplies its carrying starting Saturday. more »
- Man faces murder charge in 33-year-old case of missing boy
- A former New York City convenience store clerk is now accused of murdering one of the first missing children to ever appear on a milk carton. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal hopes for cycling history
- B.C.-born cyclist could become first Canadian to capture the Giro d'Italia, one of the world's top 3 races more »
Dispatches »
- Foreign slaves serving the U.S. military machine May. 24, 2012 3:33 PM How does a hairdresser recruited for work in Dubai, wind up slaving for the U.S. military in a war zone in Iraq? There are tens of thousands serving in what's come to be known as America's "Invisible Army."
Connect Newsroom Blog
Etan Patz Arrest, Helene Campbell & Facebook Flop May. 24, 2012 8:54 PM Three decades after a U.S. child Etan Patz disappeared, an arrest has finally been made.
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- Everest victim's family asks for government help
- Reclaiming the dead on Mt. Everest
- Employment Insurance review boards to be scrapped
- Teens share bullying tales in confession booth
- Canada ending 'Buffalo shuffle' for visas, closing consulate
- Conservatives move again to have robocalls suits tossed
- Double-lung recipient dances on Ellen show
- Workers' EI history to affect claim under new rules
