The Netherlands forgets how to treat minorities

The Dutch government on Friday approved a bill that introduces a ban on burqas. The country has forgotten how to treat its minorities, the Christian-social daily Trouw laments: "Today's democracy is increasingly dominated by a libertarian communis opinio according to which democracy is synonymous with the will of the majority. Oddly, libertarian doesn't mean that 'live and let live' is enough here. Today's democracy ensures more commands and more bans. Everyone must comply to the norms of the majority. ... The burqa ban is the most recent sad example of this. ... The art of accepting the uniqueness of minorities and yet including them in society is becoming increasingly rare in the Netherlands. On the one hand we are becoming increasingly liberal but on the other our fear of deviations from the norm is also growing. Not for nothing did the cabinet justify the burqa ban by saying it protected public safety."

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