Burqa ban

last updated 8 January 2015

Amsterdam

The Dutch government announced last week that it would outlaw the wearing of burqas and other Islamic face coverings in public. The ban is necessary for security reasons and to facilitate integration, the Justice Ministry said. Tensions have been high in the Netherlands since the 2004 murder of film director and Islam critic Theo van Gogh. Islamic leaders say that while only about 50 women in the country wear full-face coverings, the ban could further radicalize the country's 1 million Muslims. "This will just lead to more girls saying, 'Hey, I'm also going to wear a burqa as a protest,'" said Naima Azough, a liberal member of parliament.