| The United States of America just passed a | | | | become the first country that bans burqas and other |
| milestone when it enacted several important bills into | | | | Islamic garb among others. |
| law in their land. Last year, its Congress passed a | | | | Belgium is a highly Catholic country with some 47% |
| stimulus bill that helped heal the deep wounds of | | | | claims they are from a catholic church. But Muslims |
| financial cutback brought about by the menace of | | | | represent the second largest religion in the country |
| some big bosses in Wall Street. Just last month, the | | | | with 4% of the total population. The rest is divided |
| same batch of legislator sweepingly approved an | | | | into atheists and other religions. Most Muslims in the |
| almost a century old bill – the health care reform | | | | country come from Morocco and Turkey. |
| act. For this month, they have a pending bill that | | | | Because of this legislation, human rights group said |
| needed to be passed as the president suggested. | | | | that this law will most likely affect the freedom of |
| That is the bill that will finally regulate banking in their | | | | the Belgian people. Amnesty International was one of |
| land. But this is just the “other side of the | | | | the human rights advocates that denounced the |
| world.” | | | | passage of the said law. But Dennis Ducarme from |
| Together with the US, several countries across the | | | | the liberal Reformist Movement was quick to defend |
| globe also shared similar changes and developments in | | | | the law. |
| their legislations. We have a roll of countries that | | | | "We think all people in public places must show their |
| passed their own developmental legislations that | | | | face," Ducarme stressed. "We must defend our |
| either shocked the world for its magnanimity, raged | | | | values in the question of the freedom and the dignity |
| many for its biased portions, and steep up emotions | | | | of the woman." |
| for its applicability. But in Europe, a country seems to | | | | According to Ducarme, burqas are not necessarily a |
| be making news after legislation about the banning of | | | | requirement for Muslim women. He stressed that only |
| certain religious clothing has been passed. | | | | those extremist Muslims from Pakistan and |
| Belgium flooded the news including those of major | | | | Afghanistan have those kinds of clothing rules. He |
| media outlets like CNN and Time for passing a law | | | | even added that because Belgium’s Muslims are |
| that prohibits a Muslim woman from wearing burqas. | | | | composed of those not radically inclined, it is possible |
| It was after when Belgian lawmakers passed a law | | | | for Belgian Muslim women to show their face in public. |
| by the Lower House that bans Muslim women from | | | | The parliament also agreed by saying that the law is |
| wearing any clothing that covers their faces. The law | | | | more of in response to security and morality and not |
| is said to still pass in the Senate before it can finally | | | | just for discrimination. For this reason, working |
| becomes a law of the land. Astonishingly, if the | | | | women in Belgium will have time to choose their |
| Senate would favor this legislation, Belgium will | | | | workwear uniforms less the burqas. |