THE HAGUE: Dutch senators overwhelmingly approved a bill Tuesday to ban the Islamic full-face burqa from some public places such as schools and hospitals, ending years of discussion on a hot-button issue.
“The Senate has agreed with the bill,” the upper house of parliament said in a statement on its website.
“The bill proposes a legal ban on wearing clothing that completely covers the face or only shows the eyes, in educational institutions, on public transport, in government institutions and hospitals,” it said.
The bill was approved by 44 to 31 votes in the 75-seat Senate and is the final hurdle before it becomes law.
It was supported by three of the four political parties in Prime Minister Mark Rutte ruling coalition, apart from the progressive D66 party which voted against.
Dutch Internal Affairs Minister Kajsa Ollongren — who is herself a D66 member — will now talk to government bodies such the police about how to implement the ban which carries a fine of some 400 euros ($466).
The Dutch cabinet approved the plan in mid-2015 but then decided not to go as far as banning burqas on the country’s streets.
Dutch approval follows similar bans imposed in Austria, Belgium, France and Germany and comes amid rising tensions in Europe with Islamic communities.
France was the first European country to ban the full-face veil in public spaces in April 2011.
The European Court of Human Rights upheld that burqa ban in 2014, rejecting arguments that outlawing full-face veils breached religious freedom.
The law has resulted in some 1,600 arrests since it came into force and violations can result in fines of up to 150 euros.
Dutch senate passes law enabling partial ‘burqa ban’
Dutch senate passes law enabling partial ‘burqa ban’
- The Netherlands approves a limited ban on "face-covering clothing" in public places
- It includes Islamic veils and robes such as the burqa and niqab but not the hijab, which covers only the hair
Afghan Taliban says Pakistan bombs Kabul in fresh escalation
KABUL: The Afghan government said on Friday that Pakistan had carried out fresh strikes on Kabul and several other provinces.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a post on X that Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, Paktika, and some other areas, were targeted.
Pakistan has killed at least 641 Afghan Taliban operatives and injured more than 855 in the ongoing conflict between the two sides since last month, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday.
Islamabad has said its airstrikes, which have at times directly targeted the Afghan Taliban government, are aimed at ending Kabul’s support for militants carrying out attacks on Pakistan. The Taliban has denied aiding militant groups.
Fresh clashes between the two neighbors began on Feb. 26 after Afghanistan’s border forces launched attacks against Pakistani military installations. Kabul said the attack was in retaliation for Islamabad’s airstrikes earlier in February. Both forces have since then engaged in the worst fighting between them in decades.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained strained since the Afghan Taliban seized power in August 2021. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks across the country in recent months that it blames on militants it alleges are based in Afghanistan. Kabul denies the allegations and insists that its soil is not used by militant groups for attacks against other countries.
While Afghanistan has voiced the desire for dialogue, Pakistan has repeatedly ruled out talks, saying it will continue targeting militant hideouts through “Operation Ghazab lil Haq” until Kabul desists from supporting militants.
