All hail Mrs. Verdonk

A few months ago, our immigration secretary Rita Verdonk was lambasted in the press for daring to comment on an imam who refused to shake her hand.

Now, it seems more people are willing to stand up for their right to be treated as human beings.

An Islamic man in The Hague will not be receiving his Social Security allowance this month for being unwilling to greet female employers of the Sociale Dienst (Social Services). In some Dutch media, the story is being spun as if the man is being punished for not wanting to shake hands. That's not the whole story. The statute of this particular office of the Sociale Dienst allows for religious people who are forbidden to touch women to express themselves in another way, for example by nodding or bowing. But this particular guy didn't want to greet women in any way.

I'd say if you are willing to touch money from female civil servants, you should also be willing to touch the women themselves.

I mean that in a completely non-sexual kinda way, of course. (You wouldn't doubt me if you'd seen the people that work at the Sociale Dienst.)

10:53

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