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A New Law Just Changed What Some Muslims Are Allowed To Wear – And It’s Controversial
Image for representational purposes only.
An existing Dutch law is set to be replaced, which will impose fewer restrictions on the ability of Muslim women to wear face coverings – including the burqa and niqab – in public settings. The new law’s language would repeal an existing prohibition of such veils in any public place across the country.
Dutch Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk was the driving force behind the recent action, which would roll back the existing blanket ban to allow pedestrians to obscure their faces in limited situations. Such coverings will still be prohibited in certain locations, including schools, buses and hospitals on streets throughout the Netherlands. Wearers may also be required by authorities to remove them at any point as a security measure.
Not limited to burqas and niqabs, the same restrictions will reportedly apply to bike helmets, ski masks, or other headdress that covers one’s face. Fines for breaking the new law could be as high as $450 in U.S. currency.
While the move has been panned by critics on both sides of the political spectrum, some see banning Islamic face coverings as integral to the preservation of Western civilization. One such proponent is Paul Nuttall, currently in charge of the conservative U.K. Independence Party.
“Belgium and France and now the Netherlands have argued that the burqa is not conducive to western liberal society,” he said recently, “and that people’s faces need to be exposed so they can communicate and integrate.”
He said he agreed with such sentiment, adding that he would support a similar measure in the United Kingdom.
Should obscured faces be banned in public? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
This post originally appeared on Western Journalism – Equipping You With The Truth
Source: http://www.westernjournalism.com/a-new-law-just-changed-what-some-muslims-are-allowed-to-wear-and-its-controversial/
