WUNRN
All city personnel, such as
librarians and child care workers, will not be allowed to wear such garments or
symbols if they come into contact with the public.
(Belga)
The council voted 26 to 23 late on
Monday for the ban, with the Liberals, Christian Democrats and far-right Vlaams
Belang in favour and the socialists and Greens against.
"It is really not clear who counts as an employee in contact with the
public, but we will have to carry it out," said a spokesman.
The city has 4,700 employees and is aware of two women wearing headscarves who
work on counters dealing with the public. It was possible they might be offered
work elsewhere, the spokesman said.
The ban would not affect teachers and police officers. The ban in Ghent follows
a similar ban earlier this year in Belgium's second city Antwerp. Antwerp has
since decided that Muslim women in nurseries would be allowed to cover their
heads with bandanas instead of headscarves. (Reuters)
Similar measures have been imposed
in other European countries like France, where there are growing numbers of
Muslim immigrants.
The measures are controversial. Supporters say they help Muslim immigrant women
better integrate in their host countries, while opponents say they are
discriminatory.
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