THE HAGUE, 25/04/08 - The cabinet proposal to ban face-covering clothing for government functionaries, in education and in public transport is supported by the Lower House. But the Christian democrats (CDA) and Labour (PvdA) disagree over a ban in the health sector.
The CDA wants to extend the ‘burqa ban’ to the health sector. “We do not want any face-covering in healthcare, certainly not among the personnel,” according to MP Madeleine van Toorenburg.
PvdA MP Jeroen Dijsselbloem is unconvinced. “The healthcare sector has never been asked for its opinion,” he tried. But CDA’s Healthcare Minister Ab Klink told Van Toorenburg he would study her proposal.
Dijsselbloem was actually also against a ban in education. “Naturally we do not want any burqas in the classroom. But schools that want to do so can ban face-covering clothing themselves. I am afraid we are shooting a midge with a cannon,” he said before backing the cabinet proposal anyway.
The cabinet wants to bar face-covering clothing for government functionaries and in education by adapting the house rules of the organisations involved. Only for education would a statutory ban have to be introduced. There will be no general ban for burqas on the street.
The rightwing opposition parties criticise the proposal as weak. Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders wants to ban wearing burqas on the street on penalty of a heavy fine. The conservatives (VVD) want a general ban of face-covering clothing, including balaclavas and blacked-out motorbike helmets, because this would reduce the chances of legal objections to discrimination based on religion. But the two parties failed to get a House majority behind them.