Belgian ban on full veils comes into force. 23 July 2011Last updated at 16:14 MPs voted to ban veils on the grounds of security A law has come into force in Belgium banning women from wearing the full Islamic veil in public.
The country is the second European Union nation after France to enforce such a ban. Offenders face a fine of 137.5 euros (£121; $197) and up to seven days in jail. Two women who wear full veils launched an immediate court challenge, saying the law is discriminatory. France, home to Europe's biggest Muslim population, enforced its ban in April. Study: Muslims in Europe Sense Growing Discrimination. The recent Swiss referendum vote to ban the building of minarets seemed to confirm a trend: Europeans are becoming increasingly strident in their attempts to "protect" their culture against Islam.
However, a newly published report by the Open Society Institute (OSI), a think tank set up by billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros, details the complex relationship between Muslims and non-Muslim Europeans and reveals that the suspicion is mutual. Muslims believe they are being shut out of European society. Muslims in Europe dogged by bias, Amnesty says. Amnesty International says Swiss Constitution "targeted Muslims with the prohibition of the construction of minarets" The report focuses on Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain and SwitzerlandPolitical parties "are all too often pandering" to political biases, the report saysThe September 11, 2001, attacks have contributed to hostility against MuslimsMuslims make up less than 10 percent of the population in European countries (CNN) -- Muslims in Europe face discrimination in education, employment and religious freedom, an Amnesty International report said.
"Muslim women are being denied jobs and girls prevented from attending regular classes just because they wear traditional forms of dress, such as the headscarf. Men can be dismissed for wearing beards associated with Islam," said Marco Perolini, Amnesty International's expert on discrimination. Muslims in Europe face discrimination: Amnesty. Amnesty urges European governments to do more to challenge negative stereotypes and prejudices against Islam.
Amnesty urges European governments to do more to challenge negative stereotypes and prejudices against Islam. LONDON: European countries are discriminating against Muslims for demonstrating their faith, especially in the fields of education and employment, rights group Amnesty International said Tuesday. In a report focusing on Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland, Amnesty urged European governments to do more to challenge negative stereotypes and prejudices against Islam. Five European Countries Slammed for Discrimination Against Muslims. Muslims in Europe are facing growing discrimination for their religious beliefs, not only by ordinary Europeans but also by governments and politicians.
That is the assessment of rights group Amnesty International in a new report released Tuesday. In some parts of Europe, Muslim women and girls who wear headscarves are having a hard time finding jobs or going to school. Men can be fired from work because they wear beards. And Muslim communities sometimes have little say in key issues that affect their faith - like building a prayer hall. Digital Arabs: Representation in Video Games. Fig. 1.
Battle in Sadr City (Kuma, LLC, 2004). Author's note This article has been published by SAGE in 2008. Its final version can be found here. Www.amnesty.eu/content/assets/REPORT.pdf. Muslims in the European Union: Discrimination and Islamophobia. Muslims discriminated against for demonstrating their faith.