veiled4allah: death threat for hijab

Steve Gilliard points to this story about a Belgian man who faced death threats for employing a Muslim woman who wears hijab (the headscarf):

"You are a bad Belgian and you have signed your own death warrant." That was the message to factory owner Rik Remmery when he opened his mail one morning just before Christmas.

For ex-policeman Rik it was only the start of an angry and chilling tirade of threatening post.

Further letters put a 250,000 euro ($326,000; £173,000) price on his head and a final package contained a bullet.

By now the letters were coming to his family home as well as his factory. "December," another letter read "will be a nightmare." The death threats against Rik were caused by one simple fact - he employed a Muslim woman who wore a headscarf to work.

Somebody, somewhere in the small town of Ledegem in West Flanders did not like that and was prepared to take extreme action unless Rik sacked Naima Amzil.

But Rik stood firm.

"She's worked here for eight years. I accepted her with a headscarf and I will not change my mind because of one sick person," he said.

Naima was horrified when she found out about the threats. She could not believe someone would react to her simple white headscarf in such a manner.

Originally from Morocco, she had done everything possible to integrate into Belgian society - speaking French and Dutch and carrying a Belgian passport.

Her work colleagues rallied around her. The Unizo union of independent employers organised an internet petition of support which eventually racked up more than 25,000 names.

But as the letters kept coming, the pressure and fear grew. In the end, with the police at a dead end in their investigation, Naima decided to act.

She removed her headscarf to work on the factory floor. Health and safety regulations meant she wore a hairnet at work anyway and that allowed her to stay true to her religious beliefs...

...Naima and Rik's story is symptomatic of the suspicion and extremism rearing its head against many of Europe's Muslims.

What is using violence or the threat of violence to achieve your aims, if not a form of terrorism?

Update 3/3: The death threats continue so that Naima has chosen to quit her job. A very sad development.