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/26392/dutch-government-to-appoint-commission-on-ritual-animal-slaughter http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26392/dutch-government-to-appoint-commission-on-ritual-animal-slaughter#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:45:53 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=26392 The Dutch government said it will appoint a commission to study new tightened rules for ritual slaughter to satisfy animal rights activists without infringing on  Jewish and Muslim traditions.

Before voting in January, the Senate will review a compromise offer by Henk Bleker, state secretary for agriculture.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26392/dutch-government-to-appoint-commission-on-ritual-animal-slaughter/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26313/dutch-christian-civil-servant-fired-for-opposing-gay-marriage http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26313/dutch-christian-civil-servant-fired-for-opposing-gay-marriage#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:45:25 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=26313 A Christian civil servant has been fired by the Dutch city of The Hague for refusing to oversee same-sex marriages on Biblical grounds.

Wim Pijl, 67, said Tuesday, November 15, he would take legal action against the dismissal despite parliamentary support for gay weddings.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26313/dutch-christian-civil-servant-fired-for-opposing-gay-marriage/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26163/netherlands-to-ban-the-burqa http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26163/netherlands-to-ban-the-burqa#comments Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:06:40 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=26163 Holland is to become the latest European country to ban the burka, despite the fact that fewer than 100 Dutch women are thought to wear the face-covering Islamic dress.

A ‘burqa ban’ formed part of the minority Dutch government’s programme agreed with the populist Freedom Party (PVV) on whose parliamentary support the cabinet relies.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26163/netherlands-to-ban-the-burqa/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26048/geert-wilders-acquitted-of-all-charges http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26048/geert-wilders-acquitted-of-all-charges#comments Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:12:24 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=26048 A court in Amsterdam has acquitted MP Geert Wilders of charges of inciting hatred and insulting Muslims as a group.

The charges had been brought by individuals who felt they had been discriminated against by the anti-Islam nationalist MP. ]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26048/geert-wilders-acquitted-of-all-charges/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25391/moderate-dutch-polder-mosque-has-a-future-after-all http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25391/moderate-dutch-polder-mosque-has-a-future-after-all#comments Wed, 17 Nov 2010 11:35:13 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25391 Two years ago, a new kind of mosque opened in Amsterdam. The ‘Polder’ mosque was hailed as an innovative, modern house of prayer for moderate Muslims. Now it is threatened with closure.

Is it just a case of rent arrears or are Dutch Muslims not ready for modern Islam?]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25391/moderate-dutch-polder-mosque-has-a-future-after-all/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25384/shariah-danger-in-netherlands http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25384/shariah-danger-in-netherlands#comments Tue, 16 Nov 2010 07:41:33 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25384 Frits Bolkestein says the poor quality of Muslim-operated Islamic schools in the Netherlands distance Muslims further from Dutch society.

He fears this may result in ethnic segregation, creating areas in the Netherlands where Shariah is the rule of law.

Bolkestein warns against Islamic schools "where boys and girls are segregated, where Holocaust history is not taught, where anti-Semitism is not combated, and where the curriculum militates against the emancipation of women."]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25384/shariah-danger-in-netherlands/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25273/100-churches-in-friesland-netherlands-face-closure http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25273/100-churches-in-friesland-netherlands-face-closure#comments Thu, 28 Oct 2010 07:12:11 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25273 highest density of churches in Europe. But the number of worshippers is falling, and this is creating financial problems for the churches.

As a result, 100 of the province's 700 churches are going to have to close.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25273/100-churches-in-friesland-netherlands-face-closure/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25245/dutch-court-to-hear-geert-wilders-case-over-again http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25245/dutch-court-to-hear-geert-wilders-case-over-again#comments Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:31:42 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25245 A Dutch court approved on Friday a request from anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders to have new judges for his trial on charges of inciting hatred against Muslims, forcing the court to start the case over again.

It is alleged that one of the judges tried to influence one of Wilders' witnesses.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25245/dutch-court-to-hear-geert-wilders-case-over-again/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25228/taliban-barbarians-threaten-netherlands http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25228/taliban-barbarians-threaten-netherlands#comments Mon, 18 Oct 2010 09:43:54 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25228 Taliban -- a hate group consisting of despicable barbarians who have deluded themselves into thinking they represent true Islam -- have warned of a possible terrorist attack against the Netherlands, according to a press report Monday, in the wake of the government's decision to form a minority government backed by the anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders.

'If the Netherlands enforce its anti-Islamic policies, it will ensure that they will be the target of an attack by a jihadist group,' Taliban spokesman Sabiullah Mujahid told the de Volkskrant newspaper.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25228/taliban-barbarians-threaten-netherlands/feed 0