Orthodox Dutch Muslim organisation As-Soennah has welcomed remarks by Amsterdam police chief Bernard Welten that he would not enforce a proposed ‘burqa ban’.
A ban on wearing the full-face veil in public as proposed by the anti-Islam Freedom Party is included in the coalition agreement. But in a TV interview Mr Welten said his force would not arrest women for wearing the burqa or niqab. He admitted this was a form of “civil disobedience”.
On the website Al-yaqeen.com, the Salafist As-Soenna group praises Mr Welten's “courageous” remarks, adding “Evidently the Netherlands still has people in prominent positions whom it can be proud of.”
However, Mr Welten has come in for fierce criticism from the coalition parties, the VVD and Christian Democrats. A majority of MPs agree that he should withdraw his remarks and offer an apology.
Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders responded via Twitter that Mr Welten “has to enforce the law, and thus the pending burqa ban too, or pack his bags, either voluntarily or involuntarily”.
The head of the Amsterdam professional organisation for police officers, AVP, described the police chief’s remarks as “unwise”. Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan, commented that “The law also applies in Amsterdam.”
© Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Email this Bulletin
Printer-friendly version
Do your job, Welten. We've had enough of these walking coffins littering our public areas just to spite us. Ninja-shrouds NOT required by Islam.
CORRECTION: 'Orthodox'Muslims - give me a break! Now they're trying to hide their extremism by such false labels. Do Orthodox Christians kill, torture or enslave women/girls, gays, converts from Islam and non-Muslims like in Islam? The Police Chief should be ashamed of himself - since he's being honoured by such extremist Muslims, who relishes law-breaking so arrogantly in the The Netherlands/West! No wonder Islamic terrorists and fanatics are laughing so hard till they fell over, over such Western SLAVE-like submission!
'Orthodox'Muslims - give me a break! Now they're trying to hide their extremism by such false labels. Do Othodox Christians kill, torture or enslave women/girls, gays, converts from Islam and non-Muslims? The Police Chief should be ashamed of himself - since he's being honoured by such extremist Muslims, who relishes law-breaking so arrogantly in the The Netherlands/West! No wonder Islamic terrorists and fanatics are laughing so hard till they fell over, over such Western SLAVE-like submission!