Dutch Court Creates Controversy In Accomodating Beliefs of Muslim Lawyer

Courts in Europe continue to struggle with questions of accommodating Muslim religious practices. NIS News today reports that the Dutch Bar Association, along with politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties, oppose a ruling by a Rotterdam judge that Muslim lawyer Mohammed Enait need not rise when judges enter the courtroom. Enait says that standing for a judge would violate his Muslim religious beliefs that all people are equal. Enait is a controversial figure, previously having been embroiled in a dispute regarding his refusal to shake hands with women, even though his law firm's website carries pictures of two porn actresses who are supposedly the firm's secretaries.