http://www.religionnewsblog.com Religion news about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:59:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26483/dutch-government-going-ahead-with-burqa-ban http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26483/dutch-government-going-ahead-with-burqa-ban#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:52:43 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=26483 People wearing burqas, balaclavas or all-in-one motorbike helmets in public in the Netherlands will soon face fines. On Friday, government ministers voted to outlaw all clothing which covers the face.

"People must be able to look each other in the face and be recognisable to one another. The wearing of face-covering clothing does not fit in with the Netherlands' open society, in which participation in social traffic is actually crucial," the cabinet said Friday.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26483/dutch-government-going-ahead-with-burqa-ban/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26130/catholic-schools-in-kenya-prohibit-muslim-head-covering http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26130/catholic-schools-in-kenya-prohibit-muslim-head-covering#comments Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:54:44 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=26130 Muslim leaders in Kenya say they will continue to oppose a decision by Roman Catholic bishops, announced on 19 August, that students in Catholic schools may not wear the hijab, or head covering, worn by many devout Muslim girls and women.

The bishops cited long-existing church tradition, discipline and philosophies when announcing the rule.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26130/catholic-schools-in-kenya-prohibit-muslim-head-covering/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25880/french-full-veil-ban-goes-into-force http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25880/french-full-veil-ban-goes-into-force#comments Mon, 11 Apr 2011 06:53:07 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25880 A law banning the wearing of garments that cover the face in public has today come into force in France -- the first European country to impose such a ban. Penalties for forcing a person to wear a burqa are part of the law.

The ban is seen as primarily affecting Muslim women who wear the niqab or burqa.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25880/french-full-veil-ban-goes-into-force/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25180/british-schools-where-girls-must-wear-the-islamic-veil http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25180/british-schools-where-girls-must-wear-the-islamic-veil#comments Mon, 04 Oct 2010 09:50:45 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25180 Hundreds of girls are bring forced by British schools to wear the Islamic veil in a move which has been heavily criticised by mainstream Muslims.

Islamic schools have introduced uniform policies which force girls to wear the burka or a full headscarf and veil known as the niqab.

Moderate followers of Islam said yesterday that enforcement of the veil was a "dangerous precedent" and that children attending such schools were being "brainwashed". ]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25180/british-schools-where-girls-must-wear-the-islamic-veil/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25165/disneyland-oks-headscarf-for-muslim-employee http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25165/disneyland-oks-headscarf-for-muslim-employee#comments Tue, 28 Sep 2010 10:01:13 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25165 Muslim woman who said Disneyland wouldn't let her wear a religious headscarf on her job as a vacation planner or ticket seller - the second such complaint in recent weeks - has reached an agreement with the Southern California theme park and is now wearing a Disney-provided blue scarf and beret-style hat to work.

The park worked with Abdallah to design a covering to match her costume and meet her religious needs, Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown said. She's been wearing a blue scarf topped with a beret since early this month.

"Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has a long history of accommodating a variety of religious requests from cast members of all faiths — with more than 200 accommodations made over the last three years and this instance was no different," Brown said in a statement.

However, the woman in question is not Imane Boudlal, the hostess at Storyteller's Cafe in Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, who was part of a media dust-up last month after she refused management's offer to either remove her hijab or take a job working out of public view.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25165/disneyland-oks-headscarf-for-muslim-employee/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25098/french-parliament-adopts-full-face-veil-ban http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25098/french-parliament-adopts-full-face-veil-ban#comments Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:23:44 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25098 The French parliament passed a law Tuesday prohibiting wearing a full-face veil in public, meaning a ban will come into force early next year if it is not overturned by senior judges.

The Senate passed the bill by 246 votes to one. The bill already cleared the lower house in July, and will now be reviewed by the Constitutional Council, which has a month to confirm its legality.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25098/french-parliament-adopts-full-face-veil-ban/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24784/mp-wants-british-ban-on-islamic-veil http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24784/mp-wants-british-ban-on-islamic-veil#comments Sat, 17 Jul 2010 11:24:22 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24784 A British lawmaker is refusing to meet female Muslim constituents who wear face-covering veils and has proposed a law banning the practice altogether, he said on Saturday.

The MP, Philip Hollobone, says "God gave us faces to be expressive. It is not just the words we utter but whether we are smiling, sad, angry or frustrated. You don't get any of that if your face is covered."]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24784/mp-wants-british-ban-on-islamic-veil/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24702/widespread-support-for-banning-full-islamic-veil-in-western-europe-most-americans-disapprove http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24702/widespread-support-for-banning-full-islamic-veil-in-western-europe-most-americans-disapprove#comments Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:13:46 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24702 On July 13, members of the lower house of the French parliament are expected to vote on a bill that would make it illegal for Muslim women to wear full veils -- those that cover all of the face except the eyes -- in public places.

Majorities in Germany (71%), Britain (62%) and Spain (59%) would also support a similar ban in their own countries. In contrast, most Americans would oppose such a measure; 65% say they would disapprove of a ban on Muslim women wearing full veils in public places compared with 28% who say they would approve.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24702/widespread-support-for-banning-full-islamic-veil-in-western-europe-most-americans-disapprove/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24446/iranian-extremist-muslim-clerics-lash-out-on-veiling http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24446/iranian-extremist-muslim-clerics-lash-out-on-veiling#comments Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:05:45 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24446 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24446/iranian-extremist-muslim-clerics-lash-out-on-veiling/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24319/france-to-fine-women-who-don-full-face-islamic-veils-in-public http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24319/france-to-fine-women-who-don-full-face-islamic-veils-in-public#comments Wed, 19 May 2010 14:30:40 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24319 The French government decided Wednesday to impose a $185 fine on women who wear a full-face Islamic veil in public, pushing ahead with a controversial ban despite signs of tension between France's Muslims and the Christian-tradition majority.

President Nicolas Sarkozy said his government was forwarding the legislation to parliament because it had a "moral responsibility" to uphold traditional European values in the face of an increasingly visible Muslim population, estimated at more than 5 million, the largest in Western Europe.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24319/france-to-fine-women-who-don-full-face-islamic-veils-in-public/feed 0