More anti-Muslim aggression since burka ban, foundation says

Foundation Report Islamophobia called on the government to accelerate its assessment and scrapping of the so-called burka ban. According to the foundation, the ban led to more aggression and discrimination against Muslims, and Muslim women in particular, ANP reports.

"In practice, it is mainly used as a legitimacy to exclude, treat unfairly, to discriminate against, and to attack verbally and physically women who wear a face veil and other Muslim women," the organization said in a statement.

The burqa ban, officially called the ban on face covering clothing, bans clothing that covers the face in hospitals, schools, government buildings and public transport. The government planned to evaluate the law in 2022.

But that has to happen sooner, because Muslim women have been confronted with more Islamophobia since the introduction of the law, the Foundation said. This is especially the case in areas where the ban does not apply, like on the street and in shops, according to the foundation. There were also calls for "manhunts" on social media after the law was introduced.

The enforcement of the law also proved to cause problems in practice, the Foundation said, adding that the police are not always well informed about exactly what the ban entails.