The Dutch government today promised to ban face coverings, including burqas or niqabs, by next year, Reuters reported.
The minority Liberal-Christian governing party denied, though, that the law is religiously motivated. The ban will also apply to such things as balaclavas, ski masks and helmets with shields worn inappropriately in public.
“People should be able to look at each other’s faces and recognize each other when they meet,” a statement from the interior affairs ministry said, according to Reuters.
The coalition government that rules the Netherlands, however, includes the pro-Dutch Freedom Party.
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