'Reliable sources' in The Hague say Islam critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali will not be stripped of her Dutch nationality despite giving a misleading name to get asylum in 1992, RTL Nieuws reported on Wednesday.Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk of the Liberal Party (VVD) provoked a backlash in the international media in May when she suggested Hirsi Ali may not hold Dutch citizenship. Hirsi Ali, who was born in Somalia, quit the Dutch parliament and announced she was accelerating her move to the US to take up a job with a neo-conservative think tank. The Netherlands was accused by the media of silencing Hirsi Ali because of her claims Islam is not compatible with Western democracy.
Parliament passed a motion calling on Verdonk to allow Hirsi Ali to keep Dutch citizenship, no matter what. Verdonk said in light "of the new political reality" she would ensure Hirsi Ali retained her Dutch passport.
| And that slap hurt, eh Rita? |
Verdonk suggested in May the use of the 'Ali' rather than her surname 'Magan' may have invalidated her naturalisation. Several other former asylum seekers have lost their Dutch nationality for giving false names. But RTL cited sources in The Hague as saying from a legal point of view Hirsi Ali had not told a lie as her grandfather's name was 'Ali'. She was therefore entitled under Somali law to use this name, even if she did not know this at the time.
RTL said the announcement of the decision has been put on hold while officials work out an elegant formulation of words to prevent a major loss of face for Verdonk.
| Not possible. |
| Why not just e-mail the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Mogadishu? |