Hege Storhaug, HRS
Frihetspartiet som ledes av Geert Wilders er støtteparti til den nederlandske mindretallsregjeringen bestående av Kristendemokratene og De konservative. Frihetspartiets forutsetning for å støtte en mindretallsregjering var økt fokus på verdigrunnlaget i Nederland og begrensninger i innvandringen. I forrige uke forbød således Nederland ansiktstildekning etter et forslag fremsatt av samme Wilders for flere år siden. For noen dager siden kom det frem at Nederland også skal stramme inn både asylpolitikk og familieinnvandringen. Dette er likeledes etter press fra Frihetspartiet.
Detaljene rundt en eventuell folkeavstemning er ikke klare, melder The Sun Daily
Dutch politician Geert Wilders said yesterday he wanted the Netherlands to hold a referendum on whether to ban minarets, following a similar move by Switzerland.
Wilders told parliament he would propose a law paving the way for a referendum on minarets, but did not give details. Switzerland banned the construction of new minarets in 2009, a move that drew international condemnation at the time.
The Netherlands’ reputation as relatively easy on immigration has changed over the past decade, reflecting voter concerns over the large number of Muslim immigrants, mainly from Morocco and Turkey.
The Dutch government last week said it will ban face-covering veils worn by some Muslim women because these flout the Dutch way of life and culture, and make it difficult to recognize people in public.
The new measures reflect the influence wielded by Wilders, whose anti-Islam, anti-immigration Freedom Party is the third-largest in parliament and the minority coalition government’s chief ally.
Wilders has a pact with the minority coalition government to provide crucial support in parliament in exchange for tougher policies on Islam and immigration from non-Western countries.
Few Muslim women in the Netherlands wear the Arabic-style niqabs which leave the eyes uncovered and Afghan-style burqas that cover the face with a cloth grid. Academics estimate the numbers at between 100 and 400, whereas Muslim headscarves which leave the face exposed are far more common.