Utrecht city councillor Marka Spit says she is going to ignore Dutch Integration Minister Eberhard van der Laan's plan to abolish segregated integration courses as of January 2009. Various Dutch media report that the two politicians, both members of the Labour Party (PvdA), disagree on whether segregated integration classes benefit or undermine the emancipation of Muslim women in the Netherlands.

Dutch law requires nearly all newcomers to the country, other than European immigrants, to take a combined Dutch language and integration course, either inside or outside the Netherlands. The requirement, however, also applies to immigrants who have already been living in the country for some time.

The idea behind offering separate courses for men and women is to attract Muslim women who would otherwise not - be allowed to - attend because of their faith. Marka Spit says women should, at the very least, be offered the option of following the course in a single-sex setting.