BELGIUM / FILE: MPs vote in favour of a draft law to ban the full-face burqa and niqab in public places

Record ID: 593276

  • Title: BELGIUM / FILE: MPs vote in favour of a draft law to ban the full-face burqa and niqab in public places
  • Date: 1st April 2010
  • Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (FILE - MARCH 21, 2007) (REUTERS-ACCESS ALL) VARIOUS OF VEILED WOMEN WALKING AROUND FLEA MARKET
  • Embargoed: 16th April 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Domestic Politics,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA4AXO4XPVYGPM4FTM0JGLFMY2X
  • Story Text: Belgium moved a step closer to becoming the first country in Europe to outlaw full Islamic veils from its streets, following a landmark vote by Belgian MPs on Wednesday (March 31).
    A parliamentary committee voted unanimously in favour of a draft law to ban the full-face burqa and niqab in public places. The bill is likely to be put before the full house on April 22.
    Federal Deputy Eric Thiébaut said Wednesday's vote marked an important step.
    "Yes I think it is very important to have this unanimity, and it was also very important that were able to legislate on the issue because I think all the parties of the majority were very much in favour of this public burqa ban in Belgium," he said.
    Some schools in Flanders have already banned the veil but the decision remains in the hands of directors as it is not enshrined in the law.
    Brussels swore in its first veiled Member of Parliament last year when Mahinur Ozdemir, a Christian Democrat (CdH) of Turkish origin, took her seat in the regional parliament of Belgian capital Brussels.
    But several members from the right and the liberal parties say they want all "religious or philosophically distinctive signs" to be banned from the country's assemblies.
    The issue of Islamic clothing is also a sensitive one in neighbouring France where French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said the burqa is "not welcome".
    In September 2004, France was the first country to introduce a law banning Islamic headscarves and other religious symbols from state schools.
    The headscarf continues to be the subject of heated debates within the European Union where the heads of non-religious schools see it as a symbol which sows division amongst pupils whilst Muslims who want to wear it see it as the rightful expression of their identity.
    The EU has 15 million Muslims, the second largest religious grouping in the 25-nation bloc.
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