Prime minister defends queen’s ‘nonsense’ headscarf remark

Queen Beatrix is right to say Geert Wilders is talking nonsense by describing Muslim headscarves as a symbol of female oppression, prime minister Mark Rutte said on Friday after the weekly cabinet meeting.


‘There are an awful lot of women who wear headscarves and they are not all oppressed,’ Rutte said.
On Thursday, the queen, who was on a state visit to Oman, told reporters Wilders was talking nonsense for criticising her decision to wear traditional dress. On two occasions, both she and princess Maxima covered their hair and wore long robes while visiting mosques.
The decision led to questions in parliament from the anti-Islam PVV, who say it is a symbol of the opression of women.
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