Ban the burka says UKIP

January 18, 2010

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MUSLIM women should be banned from wearing the burka, according to the former leader of the UK Independence Party.

Nigel Farage, who currently leads UKIP’s 13 MEPs in the European Parliament, said women who wear the burka and the veil are oppressed and that they are a symbol of a divided country.

He added: "I can’t go into a bank with a motorcycle helmet on. I can’t wear a balaclava going round the District and Circle line.

"The real worry is that we are heading towards a situation where many of our cities are ghettoised and there is even talk about Sharia law becoming part of British culture."

UKIP is the first party in the country to call for a total ban on wearing the veil, after the BNP called for it to be banned in schools.

But Mr Farage, who has

announced he will stand against the current Commons speaker John Bercow at the General Election, denied his party’s plans to ban the covering of the face in public are a gimmick to grab votes.

He said: "There is nothing

extreme or radical or ridiculous about this, but we can’t go on

living in a divided society.

"I think that’s not British, it’s unfair, it’s not consistent with our traditions of liberty and freedom."

But schools secretary Ed Balls blasted the idea, saying it was ‘not British’ to tell people what to wear in the street and accused UKIP of ‘unpleasant politics.’

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Asian.Sensation (18/01/2010 at 14:01)

UKIP obv has lost the plot- who are they to tell people what can and cannot be worn? they tried banning the hoodies and now the burkha- these politicians cant get anything right &who says the burkha is a sign of oppression? may be he should ask one of these ladies and im sure the answer they give will send him back to his loser partys head quarters

Ray Stay (18/01/2010 at 16:39)

This is an excellent policy and should be driven through. In these times or terror attacks and supposedly social cohesion, it does not help for individuals to mask themselves whilst in public. Rightly so, you cannot go shopping on a Saturday afternoon wearing a balaclava, the majorities rights to see who they are dealing with is far greater than a tiny percent's demands to mask themselves in public. It's just not how it is done in this country, and people need to start waking up to this FACT.

clif e (18/01/2010 at 16:44)

Nobody should be allow to hide their face in public places "schools, banks airports etc" there is no good reason for it, if people want to hide their face and identity they can do in their homes and places were they dont mind such things like that.

Mandy Barr (18/01/2010 at 21:44)

@Asian.Sensation
It's easy to get indignant about people telling you what you can and cannot wear, isn't it?

Well, how do you feel about another form of full body covering, in principle no different to the burkha. It's all white, with cut out eye holes and a tall pointy hood. It's the costume worn in the Southern United States by the Ku Klux Klan, and Klan members use the same arguments against it being banned as you've used above for the burkha.

They also argue it has religious significance, which indeed it does - it's been used in catholic parades in southern Europe as the sign of a christian penitent for centuries. Would you extend the same freedom to people in this country to walk around in public dressed as Ku Klux Klan members?

Would it not be sheer hipocrisy on your part if you objected to them doing so?

A Saracen (19/01/2010 at 11:17)

@Mandy Barr, I understand the arguments about preventing terrorism by banning the burkha, but to compare muslim women in burkhas to the Klu Klux Clan is nothing short of ridiculous. Last time I checked muslim women in Burkhas didn’t go round lynching and raping innocent people in the streets and shouting ‘muslim power’

Rujibabes, Rochdale (19/01/2010 at 11:31)

No Mandy it won't be hyprocisy. The Klu Klux Klan are racist, women wearing burka are not, the Burka does not imply 'I hate black people' as those outfits do when worn by those rednecks in the deep south of America!

I have been to Greece and have seen members of the Christian faith wearing these cloaks for the easter parade. By the way those worn by these religious christians are quite different and I wasn;t offended because i can tell the difference when it is used for religious purposes and when it is used to portray racists! It's about being open minded obviously you're not!

AH (19/01/2010 at 11:46)

Burka and Nikab should be banned, why people should hid their faces ?

Asian.Sensation (19/01/2010 at 13:24)

@Mandy- i think you need to do some research - theres a BIG MAJOR difference between the burkha and the kkk- i dont have time to explain as your mentality is obv kind of low key- i cant beleive you tried to compare the 2 lol you need help

Ray Stay (19/01/2010 at 13:30)

Rujibabes, Rochdale, robes worn in Europe are for festivals purposes only, they are not worn when buying a pint of milk from Le Asda's. They have no place in modern society, and like it or lump it, this represent oppression of women to the MAJORITY of this country. You need to speed up your thinking and join us in the 21st century.

By the way, would you live and work dressed like this? covered from head to toe every time YOU left your home. I suspect not. Outdated oppression, clear and simple.

Mr Sir (19/01/2010 at 14:44)

Nicely worded Ray Stay, I totally agree with your comments, for the sake of national security they should ban this type of dress code in public areas.

Asian.Sensation (19/01/2010 at 15:00)

@ray- no one forces anyone to wear the burkha, where do you get your info from? oh is it from that plum head mandy lol

Dzenko, Manchester (19/01/2010 at 16:00)

@Mandy Barr - you really need to do some research before you start to compare the KKK to muslim women wearing burkas!! The KKK are a racist group that wants to kill all non-white people while the burka wearing women do not want to kill anyone and are not racist!! Also burkas DO NOT represent oppression! Whoever thought of this idea is complete senseless. Women who wear burkas do it by their own choice and are not forced to wear them.

Ray Stay (19/01/2010 at 18:31)

Women who wear burka's do it by their own "Socially conditioned" choice and that is slightly different, this is born from an invisible pressure from within an isolated community, fitting in and not being looked down on by her peers, i.e the MEN. No amount of feeble justification (from the men folk may I add) will sway the fundamental feeling of embarrassment and pity for these women whom isolate themselves from our society. To promote such acts is in my eyes is a direct attack on our communities clock in an attempt to turn it back a few hundred years.

I only hang my head in shame that all the UK women's groups ignore this serious crime against freedom through fear of "PC Racism", and I wish UKIP well in getting this through, they are worth a vote on this point alone.

Ray + partner (a female who can leave the house alone and does not need to be covered because I'm not tortured by my own insecurities)

hanif hashim (21/01/2010 at 11:45)

I suppose young women belonging to your culture ray stay are "socially conditioned"to get pregnant and bear children by different fathers,walk half naked in the streets forcing their uncovered bodies to all,Allowing them to have the "freedom" to have sex without marriage etc etc...live and let live.
I don't complain about your "women" and the kind of men they have to put with.
Understand we are different and that women of all ethnic backgrounds wear the burka.
If security is an issue then no doubt they will remove the burka to ascertain identity but please continue to allow the women freedom of choice.

Ray Stay (21/01/2010 at 15:22)

Hanif, what a load a racist tripe you are spouting.....

Are you saying that all western women are the same and have no morals? that your insular culture is better than the western? There are problems of course as is the case in any country, but western girls don't get killed by their fathers for having the wrong type of relationship, and they don't feel the need to hide their faces. I questions why you actually live in this country in the first place if you find it so vile??

Maybe you should consider relocating to a more oppressive regime.

Mandy Barr (21/01/2010 at 22:49)

@Asian.Sensation
You and several others posting here, in your zeal to defend the burkha, entirely missed the point of my analogy.

The Burkha is a garment that covers the entire body, including the head and face. In it's functional aspect it is no different from the garment worn by the KKK. Purely in terms of coverage of the human body they perform the same function, i.e completely cloaking the wearers identity.

Both are worn by choice, not by legal or religious requirement. Both are offensive to others for albeit different reasons. The burkha proclaims an ideology just as the KKK costume does. You can't support the wearing of one and not the other merely on the grounds that you favour one ideology while disagreeing with another. That would be bigotry, and we can't have that, can we?

Or maybe you're in favour of bigotry, judging by your 'plum head' remark.

hanif hashim (22/01/2010 at 09:26)

ray stay I don't find my country vile but can accept different cultures and traditions. One must avoid stereotyping muslim women as it seems very clear that you don't take kindly to the stereotyping of "white" women.
My point is live and let live;We can find fault with all races and religions but the intelligent are those who choose to look past differences both racial and religious.
Regards mandy just admit what you have posted was a mistake.

A Saracen (22/01/2010 at 10:27)

@Ray Stay, After reading several of your postings, you are without doubt the most paranoid and insecure person I have come across on these forums. If you have a partner I feel sorry for him/her.

Ray Stay (22/01/2010 at 13:02)

A Saracen, you do make me laugh, every time I have something to say which you don't agree with you always seem to resort underhand insulting tactics. Come on, form an argument and educate me if you can, I would love to be proven wrong on this matter without having to travel back in time to the 13th century, and it's Mr to you.

A Saracen (22/01/2010 at 23:18)

Ray Stay, i have tried educating you, but ive given up now. theres no getting through to you at all, I dont like the burka, but i respect women enough to allow them to make their own choices. I dont like dictatcing like you do. Read your arguments from the past you do nothing but contradict yourself. and how are my views 13th century? is it because i defend muslims that im supposed to be prehistoric? Your bigoted views would have fitted right in the 11th centrury.... when the crusades first started

A Saracen (23/01/2010 at 11:52)

"and it's Mr to you". I guess we can also add pathetic and arrogant to that list. I feel sorry for you Ray. I really do

t n (25/01/2010 at 20:59)

I am shocked, appalled and disgusted by some of the comments on here. Everyone has the right to their own opinion, and must respect them even if they do not agree. I believe most of these comments have been made with lack of understanding. No one has fully addressed the issue to why the burka is worn?
For those who know, you should not start arguments you should encourage questions and answer them hoping to educate.
For those who do not know why the burka is worn, it is simple... BURKA IS WORN FOR MODESTY. Muslim women hold modesty high in their religion, and that must be respected. There CAN NOT be arguments against that, as that is a fact. There is no mention of oppression in this fact.

Ray Stay (26/01/2010 at 16:18)

Please read the current thread on the BBC's "Have your say" forum regarding the potential French ban if you want to know what the MAJORITY of the UK population thinks about this subject.

The lesson here for most of the postings on this thread is -> "If you think your right, and you keep telling people your right, it doesn't actually mean you are right"

When in Rome my good fellows.

A Saracen (27/01/2010 at 12:54)

“If you think your right, and you keep telling people your right, it doesn't actually mean you are right”
I guess you didn’t see the irony when you quoted that statement. We followed America into Iraq because the majority (of the American government) thought it was the right thing to do. Just because France does something doesn’t mean we have to follow . Besides if we ban the Burka, what next? The Hijab? I guess the excuse for that would be “I cant see the person’s hair or ears when im communicating with her”. Anyway If France does ban the burka why dont you live there? Sarkozy’s only trying to ban the burka to deflect attention away from his awful premiership thus far, live in France for a year then you’ll see for yourself that France has bigger problems than the burka.

Ray Stay (27/01/2010 at 16:31)

Fair points A Saracen (finally), and yes I do see the irony of my statement, but what I'm trying to get through to you is this: -

"No amount of attempted justification will sway the feelings regarding the burka in this country. The will of a tiny MINORITY goes against the grain of the MAJORITY. The burka is not an acceptable form of dress in the UK, full stop. It promotes isolation and division and is a symbol of the break down in community cohesion. The MAJORITY have a right to see who they are dealing with for many reasons of which I'm sure you understand. If the individual does not agree with the MAJORITIES view on how they dress, they are also free relocate to a more sympathetic country"

You feel you have a right to push for this, and you don't. You think you can justify this, and you cant. My family dates back to 1272 in the UK, and probably a lot further, and I'm going nowhere. I will defend secularism, women's rights and the English way until the very end. If you wish to pay for my flight and accommodation to Sudia Arabia we can have this conversation there, and you will win. Here, you wont.

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