This morning’s papers are dominated by two events: skater Sven Kramer takes his fifth European title and the queen donned a headscarf to visit a mosque in Abu Dhabi and – predictably – raised the ire of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders.

All of this morning’s papers (except nrc.next) lead with a photograph of Queen Beatrix with a blue scarf tied over a black hat as she visits a mosque during her state visit to the United Arab Emirates. The queen is also wearing an abaya, a black, shapeless, floor-length creation that makes her look a bit like a Dalek, but it’s the headscarf that has upset Freedom Party (PVV) leader Wilders.

PVV furious over queen’s headscarf
“Headscarf horrifies,” headlines AD adding that the PVV claims “Beatrix’s clothing legitimises oppression of women.” The far-right party says the headscarf is “a symbol of Islamisation, oppression and discrimination against women.” The party has demanded an official explanation from the integration minister.

De Telegraaf reports that Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal has been “surprised by all the commotion about a headscarf,” and the government information service tells Trouw rather stiffly, “The headscarf and abaya were worn out of respect for the customs and traditions in the UAE.”

Minister Rosenthal tells de Volkskrant, “Anyone visiting a place of worship follows the customs and conventions of that religion, whether it’s a synagogue, a cathedral or a mosque.”

Most of the opposition parties have severely criticised the PVV’s fulminations: Socialist Party MP Harry van Bommel characterises the Freedom Party’s criticism as “pure Islam-bashing,” adding, “I wear a yarmulke if I go to the Western Wall in Jerusalem.”

A Labour party MP tells AD, ” The queen has done exactly what hundreds of thousands of other Dutch people do when they’re on holiday: if you go to Italy and visit a church, you cover your shoulders: it’s a sign of respect.”

Read more: RNW