Headscarf dismissal wrong

The Dutch department store chain Hema has fired a Muslim woman in a store in Flanders after customers protested against her wearing a headscarf, sparking a fierce debate in Belgium. The Dutch author Oscar van den Boogaard condemns the decision in his column for the daily De Standaard: "For me Hema is the symbol of democracy and good taste. A better world. Everyone feels good there. ... [The sacking of the Muslim woman was justified by] the company on the grounds that it wanted to adapt to the Belgian 'culture and customs'. What hypocrisy! Does one have to adapt to the morals of a country even when they're bad? When intolerant customers complain you're not obliged to adapt to their intolerance! ... I find it wonderful to see a veiled mother in a Hema store buying handkerchiefs and a couple of Easter bunnies for her kids. Basically we all want the same thing: to be happy."

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