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RTV Utrecht
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 11:40
The Amersfoort city council was choked last night in a debate about the wearing of a headscarf or yarmulke by enforcers and other extraordinary investigating officers (boas).
A number of political parties, including Denk, submitted a motion to allow religious expressions during working hours. But that motion was unnecessary, because Amersfoort has no ban on wearing religious head coverings at all. “We place no restrictions on a uniform,” said Mayor Lucas Bolsius.
Denk municipal councilor Tahsin Bülbül raised the issue at a committee meeting, reports RTV Utrecht. “All municipal employees are allowed to express themselves religiously, except for boas,” Bülbül said.
“The ban is outdated,” said Ida Bromberg (GroenLinks), co-sponsor of the motion. The two argued that religious expressions would not hinder the neutrality of the work of the enforcers.
Several council members wanted to respond, but then the mayor intervened. Enforcement officers who wish to do so may add religious expressions to the uniform, he said. In 2020, so four years ago, a woman wearing a headscarf already did an internship at the boas.
Plottwist
“This is a plot twist that I did not see coming,” GroenLinks councilor Bromberg responded. After which another topic was on the agenda.
More and more cities are choosing to allow headscarves or yarmulkes. In Utrecht, religious expressions at boas have been allowed since this month, and this has been the case in Arnhem and Tilburg for some time. Amsterdam Mayor Halsema announced yesterday that boas in the capital will soon be allowed to wear a headscarf or yarmulke.
Outgoing Minister of Justice Yesilgöz believes that enforcers should meet the same ‘neutrality requirements’ as the police and is investigating whether there can be a national ban on head coverings for them.
2024-02-14 10:40:35
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