On Wed, 19 Oct 2005 09:54:23 -0700 (PDT), Michael Hart <hart@pglaf.org> wrote: | | Holland Banning The Burka? | | Rita Verdonk, Holland's hardline Integration Minister, | known as the Iron Lady for her hardline stances, simply | declined to meet with Muslim officials who who shake | hands with here as a result of their sexist views. | | She current leads a Dutch movement to ban the burka | in some situations. In addition there is a current | lawsuit being filed by a woman who was refused a job | at the prestigious Muslim University in Amsterdam | because she refused to wear a headscarf. | | A court case last year went against Muslim women who | had not been allowed to wear burkas during a social | work and childcare course. The court ruled that the | children should not be prevented from seeing who was | taking care of them. | | Holland would become the first country in Europe to | ban the burka in specific situations in public, but | several major Belgian cities including Ghent, Antwerp | and others banned the public wearing of burkas and | have starting issuing hefty municipal fines. | | Some Italian cities, such as Como, have have passed | laws banning the hiding of the face in public, and | are imposing fines for wearing Burkas as a result. | | In addition, France and some of Germany have banned | the hijab headscarf in schools and public buildings, | this following similar measures in Tunisia and also | even reported in Turkey, a majority Muslim nation. | | Sources: BBC, The Times and The Sunday Times | www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-1823334,00.html | BBC News via WILL AM radio, ~9AM, 10/17 | | [For centuries Holland has been the greatest example | of religious tolerance in the world, so this marks | a major historical change.] Muslim women showing only their eyes are very common in Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK Supermarkets. I see one or two every time I go into Morrisons, Victoria, Girlington. -- Dave Fawthrop <dave hyphenologist co uk> "Intelligent Design?" my knees say *not*. "Intelligent Design?" my back says *not*.