Abstract

The approval of a ban on face-coverings is part of the government coalition's political agenda in the Netherlands. Restriction on individual manifestations of religious freedom in the public sphere appears as unusual, in the light of the historical development of the position of religion in the Dutch society. Nonetheless, in a context of rapid change in Parliament's composition, the relations between State and religions, with particular reference to issues related to the Muslim minority, are the focus of a growing debate.