Nadia Geerts is a Belgian philosopher. From 1992 to 2008 she was a teacher of nonreligious moral education in the secondary schools of Brussels and is now, as of 2009, assistant professor of philosophy at the Haute École de Bruxelles.
Nadia Geerts is a widely sought-after speaker among secularists and is very active in the secular movement:
She is the author of several works, including:
Nadia Geerts' blog: http://nadiageerts.over-blog.com/
Nadia Geerts at the podium, 2010-10-02
Photograph : J. Jarry
In recent years, the question of the veil -- at first only among schoolchildren, then effecting administrations, teachers, the judiciary, etc. -- has become increasingly important in Belgium. The Brussels parliament has the first veiled female member of any European parliament. Indeed, the veil have become not only more common, but more more austere and covers more, and is worn by increasingly younger female Muslims.
It was once thought that the veil would be gradually abandoned as immigrants became more integrated, but it is now clear that this is not the case and that the problem is not one of immigration. Most young Belgian Muslim women are born in Belgium, as their parents often are too, and have adopted a religious practice more rigorous than that of their parents. How then do we interpret this return of the veil? And especially, how do we respond without falling into one of various traps such as cultural relativism, racism or intolerance?
Nadia Geerts argues for the secular state, a healthy indifference towards religious beliefs and a program to separate politics from religion.