Credit/Source: The Times of Malta: July 15, 2011 (www.timesofmalta.com)
Belgium will enforce a burqa ban from July 23 with a fine and possible jail time for women who wear it, joining France as the second EU nation to forbid full veils, Belgian media said yesterday.
The new law was published Wednesday in the kingdom’s official journal after deputies approved it unanimously in parliament in April.
Offenders will face a fine of €137.50 and up to seven days behind bars. An estimated 270 people wear the face-covering niqab or the full-body burqa in Belgium.
France – home to Europe’s biggest Muslim population – became the first European Union country to ban the burqa on April 11. In France, a woman who repeatedly insists on appearing veiled in public can be fined €150 and ordered to attend re-education classes.(AFP)
Categories: Europe
Congratulations to Belgium. They managed a law to tease 270 Muslim ladies. On the other hand they cannot form a government. No wonder, with such priorities…
Well said. I have a Google-knol on this issue:
http://knol.google.com/k/the-veil-hijab-or-burqa
I think it is too intrusive and invasive for governments to intervene and dictate what people should wear.
Just walked along lake Geneva in the evening. Lots of Arab tourists, a few Burqas as well … I sincerely hope this will continue to be tolerated in Switzerland, Inshallah.
Brother Rafiq you are truly international, one moment in some country of Asia and next in Europe. I know next week you will be in UK. When are you visiting USA?
No plans yet. Geneva was not planned either, I got a phone call in the morning that the Minister of Migration of Iraq will call on our Headquarters in Geneva the next day and I was in the plane 4 hours later in order to receive him and join the meeting…. now in UK …