Dutch row in to growing Muslim debate with public veil ban plan

The Dutch government announced plans yesterday for legislation banning full-length veils in public places and other clothing that covers the face — putting the Netherlands at the forefront of a general European hardening towards Muslim minorities.

The Netherlands is deeply divided over moves by the government to stem the tide of new arrivals and compel immigrants to assimilate into Dutch society.

‘‘The Cabinet finds it undesirable that face-covering clothing — including the burqa — is worn in public places, for reasons of public order, security and protection of citizens,’’ Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk said.

Basing the order on security concerns apparently was intended to respond to warnings that outlawing clothing like the all-enveloping burqa could violate the constitutional guarantee against religious discrimination.

The main Dutch Muslim organisation CMO has been critical of any possible ban. The idea was ‘‘an overreaction to a very marginal problem’’ because hardly any Dutch women wear burqas anyway, said Ayhan Tonca of the CMO. ‘‘It’s just ridiculous.’’

In the past, a majority of the Dutch parliament has said it would approve a ban on burqas, but opinion polls ahead of national elections on November 22 suggest a shift from that position.

The issue has resonance throughout Europe. Former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw recently caused a stir by saying he wants

Muslim women to abandon the full-face veil — a view endorsed by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

In France, the centre-right’s leading presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy has increasingly been adopting some of the rhetoric of the extreme-right.