THE HAGUE, 18/05/06 - The Lower House has forced Aliens Affairs Minister Rita Verdonk to reconsider her decision to withdraw Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Dutch nationality. A new decision will be made within six weeks. After that, Verdonk's position will still remain uncertain.

In an emergency debate running on deep into the night, Verdonk was accused by all parties of two mistakes. First, she reached the conclusion far too quickly - after an investigation of scarcely one day - that the Somali-born Hirsi Ali has with retrospective effect never been a Dutch citizen. Secondly, the minister based this conclusion on a careless interpretation of a Supreme Court ruling in 2005, according to the House.

The 2005 Supreme Court ruling stated that someone who is naturalised has still with retrospective effect not acquired Dutch nationality if it turns out that incorrect personal data was provided. The Supreme Court however noted that it is possible to depart from this in case of "exceptional circumstances," without specifying which circumstances these are. As well, the nationality can also be retained if the person in question is known by the false name given, under the ruling.

A broad House majority concluded that Verdonk has interpreted the Supreme Court ruling too narrowly. When Hirsi Ali received her Dutch passport in 1997, she had already probably been known by this name for five years - since she applied for asylum in 1992. Additionally, the House sees the position of Hirsi Ali, subject to frequent death threats as a world-famous women's rights activist, as an exceptional circumstance.

Hirsi Ali's real name is Hirsi Magan. Verdonk therefore insisted that she "could do nothing other than find that Hirsi Ali is not a Dutch citizen." But virtually the entire House embraced a motion from Verdonk's own conservatives (VVD), ordering the minister to make a new decision. Additionally, if the result should again be negative for Hirsi Ali, then Verdonk must look for other ways to make her a Dutch citizen after all.

Following Verdonk's decision, Hirsi Ali resigned with immediate effect on Tuesday as a member of parliament for the VVD. In the debate, it remained unclear whether Hirsi Ali is stateless. According to Verdonk, she could fall back on Somali nationality, but Labour (PvdA) leader Wouter Bos claimed Somalia had probably already withdrawn this passport years ago. In any case, said Verdonk, Hirsi Ali has refugee status, allowing her to travel. Her personal guarding is also maintained.

Since 2002, Hirsi Ali had already repeatedly shared the fact with international media that she was really called Magan and lied about her date of birth. Leftwing Green (GroenLinks) leader Femke Halsema said that everyone in The Hague had known the facts for a long time. Nonetheless, Verdonk only took action when TV programme Zembla presented the lies as new facts last Thursday.

Halsema commented that even Hirsi Ali's e-mail address begins with 'magan.' Verdonk said she never knew that this was her name. She also swore she never had e-mail contact with Hirsi Ali. But according to sources at the Justice Ministry, this did in fact occur.

As well, Leon de Winter, a personal friend of Hirsi Ali, stated on TV programme Nova that he was present at a telephone conversation a few months ago in which Hirsi Ali said to Verdonk that she had lied in her asylum application. Hirsi Ali also stated this herself last week in the controversial Zembla broadcast.

Verdonk's position could falter again if it should turn out that she did after all know for some time that Hirsi Ali was actually called Hirsi Magan. Additionally, a lengthy crisis is threatened within the VVD if Verdonk is elected as party leader on 1 June. Within the VVD establishment, her position has become very bad, but it is the 40,000 party members who elect the winner.

Verdonk is in a leadership battle with Education Secretary Mark Rutte. If Verdonk wins, she will have difficulty in jacking up the MPs' confidence in her - this was already low, because most prefer Rutte. A blessing in disguise for the VVD is that Verdonk, if elected leader, still has to remain in the cabinet until May 2007, when parliamentary elections are held.

Unlike Rutte, Verdonk cannot switch to the Lower House before May 2007, because she did not run for election as an MP in 2003. The present interim parliamentary leader Willibrord van Beek would then continue to lead the MPs. Time must then become the ally that heals the internal VVD wounds.