Antwerp: Minister should revoke headscarf ban

Antwerp: Minister should revoke headscarf ban

The headscarf storm has not yet abated. "It can't continue this way," response imam Nordine Taouil. "I will certainly start an initiative. The minister should lift the ban."

The famous Antwerp imam Taouil spent the past few weeks in Mecca and only arrived back in the city Monday evening. He says he had followed the protests of the recent days but will now have to catch up quickly.

"The headscarf ban has always been discriminating and still is. It gravitates towards Islamophobia. A big group of people gets less rights than others, and that's impossible."

Taouil will as quickly as possible meet with the Muslim Executive and with the action groups such as De Leidraad.

"We want to continue to enter into dialog, in the first place with the school administrations. But if the administration doesn't listen, we'll go to the minister of education. He should than just revoke the ban."

Monday there were still meetings in the Hoboken Atheneum between the administration and protesters. The talks produced no results. Both parties stand by their points of view and a compromise doesn't seem possible at the moment.

For the first time since the beginning of the school year, there were no demonstrations in front of the Hoboken Atheneum, according to the police.

Spokesperson Sven Lommaert says that after the break-in and the vandalsim in the school they were extra vigilant around the Hoboken and Antwerp Atheneums, and everything was calm.

The association responsible for the protests has meanwhile asked to meet with mayor Patrick Janssens. According to Lommaert the protesters want to explain their grievances and since they're expecting the meeting they've stopped their protests for now.

Sources: GvA, HLN (Dutch)