Amsterdam: A Muslim political leader in the Netherlands on Wednesday dismissed as "ridiculous" a motion in parliament to forbid women from wearing burqas in public, calling it an overreaction to an issue that barely exists in the country.
A motion to ban burqas robes that cover the entire body and veil the face passed in an 80-70 vote in parliament late on Tuesday, and the government is drafting a Bill to make the proposal into law.
The immigration minister has promised to report back to the 150-member parliament by February.
It is "an overreaction to a very marginal problem" because hardly any Dutch women wear burqa, said Ayhan Tonca of the Muslim political organisation known by its acronym CMO. "It's just ridiculous," Tonca told The Associated Press.
The idea was proposed by maverick lawmaker Geert Wilders, a politician known for his criticism of religious fundamentalism and for his anti-immigration policies. Wilders has received death threats from radicals.
Burqas are "medieval, and unfriendly to women", Wilders said in a telephone interview. "This measure will serve to promote integration by preventing Muslim women from separating themselves from Dutch society, and by giving comfort and support to moderate Muslims." He conceded that few women in Holland wear burqas, but said there is evidence the trend is growing.
Around one million Muslims live in the Netherlands about 6 per cent of the 16 million population.
Wilders argued that the law also was needed for safety reasons, so that a terrorist cannot use the burqa to conceal a weapon or his or her identity.
"In the Netherlands, you have to know who you're dealing with in public life." Among other European countries, France has banned the wearing of headscarves and other religious symbols in schools, while Turkey discourages them in public and bans them in government. Wilders said that burqa bans have been successfully instituted in some Belgian cities.
