No More Burqas In Dutch Schools And Hospitals: Netherlands Latest To Ban Full-Face Veils In Public Places

Netherlands is the latest European nation to join France, Germany, Austria and Belgium in banning full-face veils in public places as its upper house voted 44 to 31 to pass the bill.

According to a report in The Guardian, the ban will cover public places including schools, hospitals and public transport.

“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,” the report states the upper house as saying.

The Dutch law follows similar bans in other European countries where full face veils are illegal in public places. France was the first to implement such a ban in 2011. The ban comes amid rising tension in Europe with the Muslim populations as stated in the report.

Opponents of such laws say that the bans curtail individual rights are cater to Islamophobic elements in the European societies.

The ban brings cultural fault lines to the fore as Europe faces a growing immigrant crisis while societies struggle to integrate mostly Muslim immigrants from strife torn areas in Africa and the Middle-East.