Britain must ban 'offensive' burkha in public says MP
MINISTERS were yesterday urged to “seriously consider’’ banning burkhas in public as a Conservative MP became the first mainstream British politician to back the idea. Philip Hollobone told the Commons: “This is Britain. We are not a Muslim country. Covering your face in public is strange and to many people both intimidating and offensive.”
Wearing the full-face burkha was “oppressive and regressive’’ to the advancement of women, he told a Commons debate to mark this week’s International Women’s Day. It was not until recently when he took his children to a park in his Kettering constituency and saw a woman wearing one that “it came home how inappropriate and offensive it is for people to wear this apparel in the 21st century”.
Mr Hollobone added: “In my view, and the view of my constituents, wearing the burkha is not an acceptable form of dress and the banning of it should be seriously considered.’’ By wearing them women effectively said they wanted no “normal human dialogue or interaction with anyone else ... and that our society is so objectionable we aren’t even allowed to cast a glance upon them’’. He said: “It goes against the British way of life. If we all went around wearing burkhas, our country would be a very sad place.’’
A similar ban has been backed by the UK Independence Party.
After the Commons debate, Mr Hollobone told the Daily Express he spoke out after being “bowled over’’ by the positive response he received from the public after he previously questioned the wearing of burkhas. He said: “This is not an anti- Muslim or anti-religious thing, and it’s not about veils which cover only the head or neck. It’s about covering your face in public, which is something we normally associate with people attending controversial trials or motorcyclists or burglars. It is not a religious requirement and it is banned in some Muslim countries such as Turkey and Tunisia. Yet it is an increasingly common sight in Britain and it is making us feel like strangers in our own land.’’
Earlier in the Commons debate, Pakistan-born Labour MP Mohammad Sarwar told MPs: “I think that’s the women’s choice. Yes, there should be action taken against those who are forcing women to wear hijabs. But I don’t think it’s a big issue in this country and I don’t think there’s a need for this to be debated.’’
Solicitor General Vera Baird, winding up the debate, said she did not agree with Mr Hollobone. She’s a good Scots dhimmi so what do you expect.
Posted on 03/12/2010 5:26 AM by Esmerelda WEatherwax
Comments
12 Mar 2010
Alan R
"Ban the Burqa -and the Niqab too"
(Daniel Pipes)
http://www.danielpipes.org/4783/ban-the-burqa-and-the-niqab-too
12 Mar 2010
Hugh Fitzgerald
"Mr Hollobone told the Daily Express he spoke out after being “bowled over’’ by the positive response he received from the public after he previously questioned the wearing of burkhas."
"Bowled over..."
Well bowled, then, people of England.
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