Please Mr. Mohammed Enait, dont come crying or bombing someone when this attitude backfires. If its so hard to stand up as for respecting some local customs, it shouldnt draw too much attention from your orthodox fellows, when I will simply draw a caricature of person whose name is being used as most common muslim male name.
Looking forward to more other kinds of authenic system of beliefs come around!

By Goblin | December 11, 2009 3:33 PM

Not being well versed in Islam or the Muslim faith, I wish we could have been given some more information.
Such as; what exactly is ' orthodox Muslim'; are other lawyers who might be 'orthodox' viewed the same and given the same 'courtesy'; etc?
"News" without background is just tabloid headlines. More and more, I feel 'DutchNews' does a cleaned up Google Translate of the first paragraphs
of the tabloids.

By wilbur | December 11, 2009 3:46 PM

It seems a bit petty of this man to cause all this trouble just because he seems to misunderstand why people stand up when judges enter a room.

To stand up is a sign of respect and recognition of a senior member of a profession. It is not to symbolise inferiority or servitude. I also can't see what Islam has to do with this issue in the first place.

By Mark | December 11, 2009 3:47 PM

Enait does not intend to instult the judges but he does it anyway. Another example of how to exploit the judicial system and get away with it. If Christian lawyers tried this in a muslim country the outcome for a fact, would be quite different. Enait's kind of equality stinks and should not be tolerated.

By T. Wolfert | December 11, 2009 4:03 PM

I have just read this article again and this man's attitude has annoyed me even more. He expects people to respect his "authentic system of beliefs" even though his reasoning is questionable in this case but he does not respect the traditions and customs that are part of his profession. He is employed as a lawyer in a non-islamic country and he should leave his religious beliefs at the door when he enters a secular courtroom.

By Mark | December 11, 2009 4:22 PM

I thought, standing in front of the judiciary was merely a sign of respect for the judiciary and the law -- equality is implied with the fact that everyone is obliged to do it, not a select few. Does his therefore mean that we can all apply the individual customs of our native lands or religion while living here in the Netherlands? What happened to separation of church and State?

By Buzzer | December 11, 2009 6:39 PM

and why did i know he would be a muslim, intergrate and show respect of go back to your native land, i am liberal and an Antifa(anti racist) and it really pisses me off how we are bending over backwards to accomodate islam...this man has no respect for your legal system

By adhd | December 11, 2009 6:41 PM

is this a joke i could believe this to happen in the UK but hear what the hell is going on with the Dutch use seam to be going secular and religion crazy if this was a Muslim cleric he would have been on his hands and knees all men are equal i think not

By freefa11 | December 11, 2009 7:28 PM

Umm....... having travelled and been involved in legal cases all over the ME and other Muslim nations, I have never seen were the people in the court, especially the lawyers and staff were they do not stand up.

This is just another case of a Euro-Muslim making issues out of nothing and what is not acceptable in the real and existing Muslim World.

(ps, to clarify, I am also a Muslim)

By Solkhar | December 11, 2009 9:29 PM

what ever happened to "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"?

By Janice Dougherty | December 11, 2009 9:58 PM

Islam does not hold that all men are "equal", but that women and infidels have inferior rights to male Muslims.

This is yet another example of western capitulation to Islam and a slide into Sharia law.

By kevin | December 11, 2009 10:02 PM

It's obvious that the dutch disciplinary council does not recognise respect due to the judge in court. Enait clearly believes that showing Respect to a judge makes himself inferior (less-equal), which he clearly is by this his very action.

By mei | December 11, 2009 10:46 PM

i don't know why people use islam to get themselves famous..i am a muslim and i know also that to show respect for other people or for the law is demanded.
and we do the same in courts in moslem country to show that we will respect the verdict of the judge.

By mahi | December 11, 2009 11:04 PM

This person is an instigator, just as Wilders and his hate campaign. All this outcome will do is cause more hate to boil in religious groups. As one who is not religious, for science proves there are not gods, this is more proof that people use religion for political reasons.

By Paul Martin | December 12, 2009 12:08 PM

I admire the lawyer for standing up for his rights.

By sandra | December 12, 2009 6:29 PM

Enough already.A joke right? Take his right or licence away to STAND in front of the court.

By John.Tamming | December 12, 2009 11:18 PM

Standing is out of respect for the positions, the judge who is presiding over the case. As citizens/people/humans, they are equal. In this case, I see this case like Kevin, as a capitulation.

By Sarah Brown | December 13, 2009 4:36 PM

I'm not religious, but I also believe that all men should be treated as equals before the law.

Must I become a Muslim (or, heaven forbid, a Muslim lawyer in Holland!) in order to have my moral conviction respected?

Incidentally, I wonder how many such "orthodox Muslims" there are in the world, and especially within the ranks of Muslim jurists?

How would such a sedentary expression of Muslim egalitarianism be received in a courtroom (or a royal court, for that matter) in any of the Islamic Gulf states?

By otropogo | December 14, 2009 5:43 AM

Has this disciplinary council forgotten that there is a separation of church and state in the Netherlands? This decision is a bad precedence of the law of the state giving in to a particular religious stipulation. In this case, the legal system of the Netherlands is clearly being "terrorized".
Mr. Enait's definition of respect is flawed. Real muslims (even those who have not gone to law school) have a clearer understanding of basic respect and courtesy.

By jakc | December 14, 2009 8:51 AM

Well done to the disciplinary council! Their total lack of respect and belief in the value of their own system will only add to the rise of Wilders and his party - such a wonderful way to make The Netherlands a laughing stock in the world. This situation is just too stupid to be understood.

By Annette McKenzie | December 14, 2009 10:57 AM

Can a Muslim lawyer also win a cause for the death sentence for gays because their faith says so?
I agree with some of the above comments - the ruling in this case just gives more ammunition to those who want to stir up trouble towards the anti-Islam brigade by making them think about issues like the one i opened this comment with.

By Geuzen76 | December 14, 2009 11:20 PM

Sorry, my last comment suffered from my editing before i posted it. It was meant to read: "the ruling in this case just gives more ammunition to those who want to stir up trouble FOR THE CAUSE of the anti-Islam brigade."
Personally i have no problems with people stirring up trouble towards those who are anti-Islam.
But i do think that the ruling in this case doesn't help either side.

By Geuzen76 | December 16, 2009 12:42 AM