Belgian government collapses!
LONDON, England - April 22, 2010 - The collapse of the Belgian government has thrown into doubt plans to pass a law that would ban Islamic veils in public.
The government, led by Prime Minister Yves Leterme, fell after the center-right Flemish liberal party Open VLD pulled out of his five-month-old coalition. Leterme tendered his government's resignation to King Albert after an emergency cabinet meeting, but the monarch did not immediately decide whether to accept it.
"I doubt that they will debate this law as they have other things on their minds," said a Belgian official in London.
MPs had been expected to pass a law today that would have made Belgium the first European country to ban the wearing of the burqa, which covers the face and body, or the niqab, which covers the face.
The bill, which has been criticized by human rights campaigners as a violation of the fundamental right to freedom of religion, was approved unanimously by the lower chamber's home affairs committee last month.
The law would make it a crime to be in a public place with one's face partially or wholly concealed in a way that would make identification impossible. Violators would be subject to a fine of €15-€25 (£12-£21) with a possible prison sentence of one to seven days.
