Dutch parliament votes to ban burqas, niqabs in some public places

[TomSea]

Dutch parliament votes to ban burqas, niqabs in some public places

Reuters
By Thomas Escritt



AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch parliament voted on Tuesday to ban face veils in some public places, a law the government said was essential for security but which opponents said pandered to anti-Muslim sentiment.

The law, passed by the lower house but still requiring the senate's approval, bans veils and other items that hide the face such as ski masks and helmets, in places where identifying the wearer is considered essential, including government buildings, public transport, schools and hospitals.

Few women in the Netherlands wear face veils, but a ban has long been a demand of Geert Wilders' anti-Islam opposition Freedom Party which is leading in polls ahead of elections in March.

Full and partial face veils such as burqas and niqabs divide opinion in Europe, setting religious freedom advocates against secularists and those who say that the garments are culturally alien or a symbol of the oppression of women.

Read More At: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/dutch-parliament-votes-to-ban-burqas-niqabs-in-some-public-places/ar-AAkUPmo?OCID=ansmsnnews11

[TomSea]

Note; only in places like this:

" ... in places where identifying the wearer is considered essential, including government buildings, public transport, schools and hospitals."