Category Archives: Belgium

The constitutionality of the Belgian burqa ban

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Jelle Flo and Jogchum Vrielink examine last month’s ruling by Belgium’s Constitutional Court that the 2011 ban on the face veil does not violate human rights. the conclude:

“Fundamental rights ultimately exist to protect minorities, unpopular minorities in particular, against the tyranny of the majority. A boundary is crossed when rights of individuals are simply sacrificed to majority sentiments; a boundary which should be protected by institutions such as the Court. In other matters, the Constitutional Court has not hesitated to fulfil this role. In the case of the burqa ban, however, these boundaries seem to have evaporated, making for the constitutional equivalent of a Schengen area.”

Open Democracy, 14 January 2013

Via ENGAGE

Belgian Hema store wrong to sack headscarf-wearing worker

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Belgian branch of Dutch department store Hema was wrong to sack a woman worker for wearing a headscarf, a Belgian industrial tribunal ruled on Wednesday.

The woman had worked for the store in Genk for two months wearing a headscarf but was then sacked for refusing to remove it after complaints from customers.

The tribunal ordered Hema to pay the 21-year-old woman six month’s salary – €9,000 – in compensation.

The company has since drawn up formal clothing requirements for its Belgian stores, news agency ANP said.

Dutch News, 2 January 2013

See also KUNA, 2 January 2013

Belgian Constitutional Court says veil ban does not violate human rights

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Last week the Belgian Constitutional Court rejected a claim to annul the ban on face coverings, better known as “burqa ban”. This ban prohibits the wearing of clothing that covers the face, or a large part of it, in the public space. The Constitutional Court concluded that the ban does not violate fundamental rights such as the right to freedom of religion, the right to freedom of expression and the right to private life, provided that the ban is not interpreted in such a way that it also covers places of worship.

Strasbourg Observers, 14 December 2012

Brussels: Christmas tree is cancelled because it offends Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Brussels Christmas treeThousands of people have signed a petition against an abstract light installation replacing the traditional Christmas tree in Brussels city centre.

More than 11,000 signatures have been gathered in the online petition and a Facebook page attacking the new feature has been launched. Critics accuse officials of opting for the installation for fear of offending non-Christians, especially Muslims. But the mayor’s office said it was part of a theme this year of “light”.

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Vlaams Belang thugs intimidate students at school BBQ

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Vlaams Belang BBQ attackThe Belgian press has reported that three Vlaams Belang politicians staged a protest at a school in Schoten, where many of the students are Muslims, because it had organised a barbecue that included halal meat.

The protestors climbed over the wall into the school grounds and, according to deputy head Jacques Gits, “intimidated the children and pushed pork sausages down their throats”. One of the students, who were aged between 12 and 14, added: “They said that halal meat is not real food and that our stomachs needed filling.”

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Vlaams Belang offers ‘burqa bounty’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Vlaams Belang Gezocht
‘Wanted!’ Vlaams Belang video offers reward for shopping veiled women to police

Belgian right-wingers have offered to pay a 250 euros ($310) bounty to anyone who reports a veiled woman to police, they said on Tuesday, in the wake of face veil riots in Brussels.

Filip Dewinter, a senior figure within Vlaams Belang, a right-wing party, told Reuters the riots had made police apprehensive about enforcing the burqa ban and that the payment should put pressure on authorities to further enforce it. “It’s a textile prison for the women who have to live under it,” he said.

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Hijab in Brussels schools: ban may spread

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Le Soir reports that two secondary schools in Brussels are considering banning the hijab.

In 2008, despite a petition with 4,000 signatures objecting to the change in policy, the Institut des Ursulines in Molenbeek decided to ban the headscarf. Since then only 4 out of 98 secondary schools in the city have allowed Muslim pupils to wear the headscarf.

Now two of them, the Institut des Filles de Marie in Saint Gilles and the Athénée Alfred Verwée in Schaerbeek, are considering changing their rules and imposing a ban.

Amnesty International finds bias against European Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Amnesty InternationalA new report from Amnesty International has found that some European Muslims are regularly denied employment and educational opportunities because of widespread cultural and religious stereotypes that lead to discrimination against them.

The report, titled “Choice and Prejudice: Discrimination Against Muslims in Europe“, examines the lives of Muslims in Switzerland, France, Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands. It found that individuals who wear specific forms of dress, like a head scarf, or other symbols associated with Islam, do worse with jobs and schooling because of prejudicial attitudes and legal impunity in these European states.

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