Hirsi Ali to keep Dutch nationality

Former Dutch lawmaker Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who was threatened with losing her citizenship for lying on her refugee application, will retain her adopted nationality, according to Dutch media reports Tuesday.

The Somali-born Hirsi Ali, an outspoken critic of fundamentalist Islam, resigned last month after Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk ruled her application was invalid because she gave a false name when she arrived in 1992, fleeing an arranged marriage.

Verdonk’s decision created an uproar in parliament, which ordered her to reconsider the decision or reprocess Hirsi Ali’s application.

RTL News cited unnamed sources Tuesday as saying that Verdonk has completed the paperwork allowing Hirsi Ali to retain her nationality. Immigration Ministry spokesman Martin Bruinsma said the RTL report, which went into the technical details of the decision, was “premature.” “We are still in discussions with Hirsi Ali’s lawyers,” he said.

Full article: Associated Press via OhmyNews, 21 June 2006