He claimed at the time that he was “fighting for the rights of orthodox Muslims and that he was “a victim of political persecution”.
A Rotterdam court last year ruled in favour of Enait, arguing that an exception could be made on the basis of deep religious conviction. But the judge was later overruled by the council for the judiciary, which said all lawyers must demonstrate their respect for the rule of law and exceptions are not acceptable.
The first ruling was heavily criticised by members of the Dutch parliament at the time. Christian democrat Sybrand van Haersma Buma said: It is unacceptable that one individual with extreme beliefs can challenge [our] general rules of conduct. [The Freethinker] Read more
