Netherlands: Muslim with headscarf features in province campaign

Netherlands: Muslim with headscarf features in province campaign

Campaign website here.

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In bus stops in Kampen (Overijssel), unknown people put stickers with anti-Islamic slogans.

The stickers with the text 'Overijssel is not Islamic' cover an ad poster of the Overijssel province. The billboard shows an Islamic woman with a headscarf, with pictures of the Overijsel nature in the background.



The photo of the young Muslim woman is part of a publicity campaign for the Overijssel province, which draws attention to the qualities of the Overijssel landscape. Besides the woman with the headscarf, other residents of the province also figure in the campaign.

Anonymous critics told elsevier.nl that the campaign is 'disrespectful'. 'What does Overijssel have to do with Islam? Particularly when it comes to the landscape and culture of Overijssel," wrote one critic in an e-mail.

The province, which will investigate the case, has no idea who's behind the anti-Islamic stickers. According to a spokesperson they have received more negative responses to the campaign.

The photo of the Muslim woman was also printed in brochures which were handed out house to house.

"That yielded us about twenty critical responses," says a province spokesperson. "We explained to those people that it's not models, but actual residents of our province. Also the lady with the headscarf lives in Overijssel. Than they understood it."

A similar sticker was put at a bus-stop with a ad by telecom provider Ben, which also shows a Muslim woman with a headscarf. Ben says they know nothing about it.

At a request of the province, the administration of the bus-stops removed the slogans. The bus-stop campaign is meanwhile over.

Source: Elsevier (Dutch)

See also: Norway: Impressions of Norway

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