05 October 2004	Tuesday	19 Shaban 1425

BRUSSELS, Oct 4: Belgian Interior Minister Patrick Dewael on Monday condemned cultures which force women to cover up their bodies, saying "all men are equal but not all cultures".

While not mentioning Islam by name, he also criticized cultures which do not separate religion from politics. "I cannot accept a culture where women are put in position of inferiority because they have to cover up their bodies," he said in an interview with the Flemish-language De Standard.

"Neither can I agree with a culture where women are kept in the house ... or a culture which rejects the separation between church and state," added Dewael, a member of Prime Minister Guy Verhof stadt's VLD Flemish liberal party.

"All men are equal, but all cultures are not equal," he added. The minister added that Flanders, Belgium's Flemish-speaking northern region, should take a middle way between those who believe that "all cultures are equal and that a multicultural society is enriching," and those who "reject multiculturalism" and who want all immigrants to be firmly integrated.

Flanders and in particular the northern port city of Antwerp are home to a relatively large Muslim immigrant community, which has in the past been the source of inter-cultural tension.

A recent opinion poll showed the far-right Vlaams Blok as the most popular party in Flanders, its best ever showing with the support of nearly one in four voters.

Political analyst Vincent de Coorebyter noted that Dewael "is only drawing attention to the democratic principles which part of the Muslim community does not respect, such as the separation of church and state or sexual equality." "But you can't ignore the political context in Flanders, where a party with a xenophobic political message, the Vlaams Blok, represents a quarter of voters," he added. -AFP