Partial ban on burqa takes effect

Muslim, rights groups have voiced opposition to law

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Aug 1, (AP): A new Dutch law took effect Thursday banning face-covering clothing – including the burqa and niqab worn by conservative Muslim women – on public transportation, in government buildings and at health and education institutions.

The Netherlands, long seen as a bastion of tolerance and religious freedom, is the latest European country to introduce such a ban, following the likes of France, Germany, Belgium, Austria and Denmark.

Muslim and rights groups have voiced opposition to the law – formally called the “partial ban on face-covering clothing” – and an Islamic political party in Rotterdam has said it will pay the 150euro ($167) fines for anybody caught breaking it.

There were no immediate reports Thursday morning of anybody being fined under the new law, which was passed despite the fact that very few women in The Netherlands wear a burqa or niqab – estimates put the number at a few hundred in this nation of 17 million.

Anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders,

been served to the victims.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo, said Wednesday that he has no faith in the investigations to date – one by a commission and one by a committee – into the April 23 attack.

“So far, steps have not been taken to appoint a commission comprising independent people to conduct a proper probe on the attack, to bring those responsible before the law and punish them,” he told the reporters.

He criticized both the government and opposition leaders, saying they have failed to fulfill their responsibilities. “What we expected from them was to join together to probe the background of this incident and unanimously take appropriate measures. Instead they were divided into political parties and tried to suppress the truth,” he said.

Seven suicide bombers from a local Muslim group, National Thowheed Jammath, attacked three churches and three luxury hotels in the worst violence by the Islamic State group-linked militants in South Asia.

Sri Lankan leaders and the security whose calls for a total burqa ban ignited more than a decade of debate before parliament approved the law last year, welcomed the introduction of the limited ban as “a historic day” and called for it to be expanded to include Islamic headscarves.

“I believe we should now try to take it to the next step,” Wilders told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “The next step to make it sure that the headscarf could be banned in The Netherlands as well.”

The Dutch government has insisted that its partial ban doesn’t target any religion and that people are free to dress how they want. A government site explaining the new ban says, however, that “this freedom is limited at locations where communication is vital for good quality service or for security in society.”

Wilders dismissed that explanation as political correctness.

Interior Minister Kajsa Ollongren, who wasn’t available for comment Thursday, said earlier this year that the government will evaluate the new law after three years – usually such evaluations follow five years after a new law is

establishment are under fire for not acting on near-specific intelligence information on possible attacks on churches. Government leaders have acknowledged that some intelligence units were aware of possible attacks weeks before the bombings.

President Maithripala Sirisena has said he had been kept in the dark on intelligence about the planned attacks and vowed to “take stern action” against officials who failed to share it. He later appointed presidential commission to probe the attack.

Following the attack, national police

Sengar

Sirisena

implemented. It remains to be seen how strenuously the law will be enforced in The Netherlands.

The national federation of academic hospitals said in a statement that enforcement is up to police and prosecutors. It added: “We are not aware of any cases in which wearing face-covering clothing or a possible ban has led to problems” in health care.

The head of the umbrella organization of public transport companies also has said that bus drivers and train conductors don’t have the power to enforce it and would have to leave it up to police.

The Dutch ban came into force eight years after France became the first European nation to ban the public use of veils, both face-covering niqabs and full-body burqas. A 2004 law also bans Muslim hijab headscarves and other prominent religious symbols from being worn in state schools, but doesn’t apply in universities.

France’s tough law fell foul of the UN Human Rights Committee, which last year ruled that the country violated the human rights of two women by fining them for wearing the niqab. chief Pujith Jayasundara was suspended and former defense secretary Hemasiri Fernando resigned. Both were later arrested after the presidential commission found grounds to charge them with dereliction of duties and criminal negligence. They were later released on bail. (AP)

Indian national arrested for spying:

Two Pakistani security officials say authorities have arrested an Indian national who was allegedly spying on a nuclear enrichment facility in eastern Punjab province.

Spying is punishable by death in Pakistan.

The officials identified the suspect only as Rajo, from the Indian city of Indore, saying he was arrested in the town of Dera Ghazi Khan. They spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to talk to the media.

There was no immediate comment from New Delhi. Nuclear-armed Pakistan and India are regional rivals and often arrest each other’s nationals on espionage charges. (AP)