Posted on 10/13/2005 6:17:57 PM PDT by Pikamax
Women in burkas face benefit cuts By Anthony Browne, Brussels Correspondent
A DUTCH city is to cut benefits for unemployed Muslim women whose refusal to take off their burkas stops them getting jobs. Utrecht City Council voted for the measure the day after the Dutch Government announced plans to ban women wearing the burka in some public places as a security measure, and on the same day that Maria van der Hoeven, the Education Minister, urged a ban on burkas in schools.
The burka, a traditional women’s dress in some Muslim societies, covers the entire body except the eyes. The sanctions also apply to women wearing a face-concealing veil, or niqab.
Utrecht made the decision after two Muslim women receiving €550 (£380) a month in unemployment benefits told the jobcentre that they did not attend job interviews because no one would employ them because of their burkas, which they refused to remove.
A spokesman for the city said that the problem was not widespread, but added: “It is a point of principle which applies to all women who refuse to remove their burkas for job interviews. People get benefits when they are out of work but there is also an obligation to do everything to get a job. These women were educated, spoke good Dutch and had opportunities in the labour market.” The city will cut the women’s benefits by 10 per cent a month if they continue to refuse to take off their burkas for job interviews.
Utrecht based its decision on the Work and Social Security Act, which states that somebody receiving welfare must not do anything to prevent getting work. The city also noted that the Equality Commission, an official anti-discrimination body, backed employers who refused to give jobs to people wearing burkas, because being able to see someone’s face was an essential part of many jobs.
Rita Verdonk, the Minister for Integration and Immigration Minister, said that wearing the burka should be banned where it is a threat to security because it could be used by terrorists for concealment. She announced an investigation into when and where the burka should be banned, and will give details in two months.
No country has banned the the burka in public, although several Flemish-speaking Belgian towns have done so.
So what gainful, burka-clad employment did they have before they became unemployed? Or did they only develop a sincere attachment to the burka after they became unemployed, and decided living on the dole was a better deal than working?
I would suggest to the author: Name them please.
when in Rome...they move to non-muslim countries then try and enforce muslim customs..about time someone said "enough"..you come to our country you obey OUR laws..
In such a society, the women are not supposed to be working.
How can they violate that principle yet hold to the costume which exists because of the principle?
Same goes for those who try to get drivers' license photos in a burka. Sort of defeats the idea of taking a picture.
Why can't these women get jobs at health spas for women, where they would not need to wear a burka, working in the company of women only? How about women's bathroom attendant?
Funny how it was just so stated last week....... You will like this! :-)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1500092/posts
Beats working for a living.
I think if a person wants to wear a burka, or a spacesuit, they should be allowed to do that. However, if employers don't want to hire you dressed like that, they shouldn't have to. Get a job as a work-at-home word processor, or a babysitter for other Moslem women.
Saudi Arabia - your prototype of Islamic fundamentalism - doesn't generally let women work outside the home at all, except in special situations like women's medical care. This is why I think the whole thing is a set-up to collect unemployment benefits with no intention of ever working.
yup, I saw that a while back..but the basis is there..you move here, you want the money, jobs and everything else, you conform to US..don't expect to collect the benefits AND expect us to conform to you...
I don't know about the ACLU. The whole place is so leftist that you wouldn't notice an organized group :-).
How can you tell if its a woman in a Burka. If Arnold Schwarzneggar wore a Burka you couldnt tell him from the average Arab Muslim --maybe a little taller .
Wait until they start denying unemployment benefits to women in burkas who refuse jobs as prostitutes.
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.
"The city will cut the women’s benefits by 10 per cent a month if they continue to refuse to take off their burkas for job interviews."
10%? That's not enough.
Cut 10%? It ought to be cut 10% per month until it equals zero. There is no reason to pay someone unemployment benefits if they are not seriously attempting to get a job. That includes doing what is necessary to obtain one.
Especially since burkhas are custom and not religion. All Mohammed ever said was to dress modestly.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.