For more than a decade, Geert Wilders, the anti-Islamic Dutch politician who ran for prime minister last year, has been pushing for a burqa ban in the Netherlands. It’s part of his larger mission to “deislamize” the country.
Wilders lost his 2017 political bid by a significant margin. But on Tuesday, he and his Party for Freedom scored a legislative victory when the Dutch Senate passed a “partial ban” on face veils in the country.
Under the new law, anyone who wears face-covering clothing in schools, hospitals, government buildings and on public transportation will be subject to a fine of about $460.
Some supporters of the measure say that the new law is necessary to facilitate communication and that it also applies to motorcycle helmets and ski masks. Others see it as part of a broader campaign.
The law’s critics, meanwhile, say it directly targets Muslim women at a time when anti-Islamic sentiment is sweeping across Europe.