A woman wearing a Niqab Islamic dress, pulls a shopping trolley along a street in Rotterdam on July 29, 2019 AFP 
A woman wearing a Niqab Islamic dress, pulls a shopping trolley along a street in Rotterdam on July 29, 2019 AFP 

Dutch police unwilling to enforce ‘Burqa Ban’



A ban on the burqa in the Netherlands appears to have fallen flat on its first day with Dutch police indicating they are unwilling to enforce the new law.

On Thursday the Netherlands became the latest in a string of European nations to ban face-covering clothing in public. The law effectively bans the burqa and niqab face veils worn by Muslim women.

Under the rule women are fined for wearing the niqab or burqa on public transport or in government buildings including health and education buildings. They face a fine of €150 (Dh6,090) if found in contravention of the legislation which was passed Dutch parliament in June 2018, the Associated Press reported.

Attempts had been made by one Islamic group in Rotterdam to stymie the ban after it announced it would pay the fines of any women found in violation of the rule. However, the law appears to have been rendered completely ineffective following indications from law enforcement over how it will implement the ban.

RET, an organisation representing a number of transport companies in the Netherlands, has said it would not force its bus conductors or train drivers to enforce the restrictive law if the police would not be offering support.

“The police have told us the ban is not a priority and that therefore they will not be able to respond inside the usual 30 minutes, if at all,” RET said in a statement. “It is not up to transport workers to impose the law and hand out fines.”

Similarly the Netherlands' national hospitals’ federation has said its staff will not stop any woman wearing the full face veil from using its services or entering its buildings. “We are not aware of any cases in which wearing face-covering clothing or a possible ban has led to problems,” the hospitals’ group said in a statement.

The ban, which has been hailed by the far-right in the Netherlands, has always been largely symbolic. Women who wear the burqa or niqab in country number in the hundreds.

Despite indications the ban has been a widespread failure, the Netherlands' far-right figurehead Geert Wilders tweeted that he would like legislation to go further.

“Today the burka ban became law. Now we can start working on the next step: a headscarf ban in The Netherlands,” he wrote in a post on the social media site Thursday.

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

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At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

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How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now

Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.

The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.

1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):

a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33

b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.

2. For those who have worked more than five years

c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.

Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.