It would be “un-British” to ban the burka, according to Immigration minister Damian Green.
He signalled that the French-style ban on the veil, which passed through that country’s lower house of parliament last week, would go against Britain’s “tolerant and mutually respectful society”.
And rightfully so.
I have always supported the right of women to choose how they dress and any attempt to try to stifle this right – especially of Muslim women – should be strongly challenged.
The unique quality of England is its freedom and this includes the right to dress according to one’s choice, whether it’s a Muslim woman choosing to wear the face veil or a non-Muslim woman choosing to wear a low cut top and denim skirt.
Being English, we speak and live according to our beliefs whilst respecting the same of others and this is why the right of the minority of Muslim women who choose to wear the veil in public should be protected by this government.
The burka debate has been raging in Europe for many years, but it’s become highly topical again after France decided to make it illegal to cover the face anywhere in public.
Belgium and Spain are discussing similar plans with even some calls for bans in the UK.
The French argued it will “liberate” women?
Oh really? Liberation does not mean taking away a woman’s choice to wear what she wants.
They argued that women are forced to wear the veil – but hang on, aren’t some Western women forced to wear a baggy jumper to cover up their figure by possessive husbands or boyfriends?
There are always going to be situations when an abusive or controlling partner will force his ideas on his wife or girlfriend.
But not all women seen wearing a baggy jumper are forced to wear it and neither are all women who wear the veil forced either.
Of course, there are times and places when a person needs to see someone’s face for example in a bank or airport, and it’s been argued that the veil makes it harder for people to conduct identity checks.
But having spoken to many veiled women, it really hasn’t been that much of an issue for them or for those conducting the checks.
In most situations, a veiled woman is taken to a separate room by a female member of staff where the necessary ID checks are made and usually the Muslim woman involved is more than happy to do so.
They don’t have anything to hide, but time and time again they are criminalised mainly by the press and right wing political parties for something they have chosen to wear.
A poll released last week showed that 67 per cent of Britons support the ban on the face veil. YouGov, an internet-based market research firm, carried out the online survey for Five News television.
The Muslim Council of Britain says about 2.5m Muslims live in the UK and less than one per cent wear a face veil, yet this one per cent are the subject of so much debate and divided opinion across all communities.
I have close friends who wear the veil and some of them are the most fun women I have the pleasure of spending time with.
These women are from different backgrounds and upbringing, clever, intelligent and professional.
They work and contribute to society and are simply normal women who just want to get on with their daily lives, and not be brought into the limelight time and time again.
And it’s unfair because the negative attitude portrayed towards veiled women by the media has made them the subject of sheer hatred by some sections of society.
These women should be able to walk down the streets proud of who they are without fear of being attacked and, believe me, there have been some horrendous stories.
A friend had a pie thrown at her whilst walking past a chippy. Another women had her veil ripped off by group of teenagers. For a feature, I once wore the veil for the day and was called a ninja, Taliban and a “Bin-Laden loving” terrorist.
It was one of the scariest days I had spent as a journalist as I had never felt so intimidated because of a piece of clothing and I now hold much admiration for women who face such hostility on a daily basis.
The media outcry over the burka is still as fierce as when Jack Straw first said women shouldn’t wear the veil in public back in 2006.
But Mr Straw seems to have changed his mind.
When I met him in April this year, I asked him about his views and he told me that he “opposed” any law banning the veil and it was “just wrong”.
It seems Mr Straw has come to realise that his comments which brought about much heated debate only fuelled anger towards Muslim women reinforcing Islamaphobic views.
We live in a multi cultural society where we can pick and choose who we are or want to be so let’s not take away a woman’s choice to wear the veil.
This is her expression of her identity and any ban will only divide, not unite.
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The focus on the veil is a smokescreen, designed to get support for the plans from the usual suspects. What governments do, when they introduce these bans, is ban all face coverings. It's nothing to do with religion or culture, it's an attempt by governments to outlaw anonymity.
so if a bunch of european women turned up in a muslim country wearing mini skirts, what would happen to them??? probably thrown in prison or deported on an indecency charge.......
v The difference between a skirt and a veil is you dont hide your identity in mini skirt or blouse.At least people can see your facial expressions .and you can be identified with a mini but not when your face is covered.
Try wearing a mini-skirt in Saudi Arabia!!!!!
Britain’s “tolerant and mutually respectful society”. - What a load of old tosh. Britain has simply never been challenged before. It will soon come to pass that Britain is not as tolerant as the limp wristed leftys would have us believe.
I find the people that wear the burka an insult to the women and men of this country. When I was at school I was taught in history about the struggles women had to go through to find equallity in a mnas world. This is still on going in some areas but having women covered up from head to toe is a step backwards, and for women and freedom.
"we live in a multi cultural society" you state! and at what point was anyone asked whether they wanted a multi cultural society? when was it in political partys election manifesto that they where going to turn britain into a multi cultural country? its all been done through the back door, colleges selling college courses to anyone who can afford them, the so called skills shortage,(thats posh restaurants that cant find cheap waiters and washers) its all about money not the benifit of our culture, and alot of people have made alot of money, and will continue to do so in the name of multi cultureralism. rant over i,m off to india!!!
first six comments from the usual suspects.
If the Burka is 'just like wearing a mini skirt' how come we Brits can't wear this in Muslim
Countries? I would like to point out should we all go round in the Balaclava a stop would soon be put to this.
themanc: "so if a bunch of european women turned up in a muslim country wearing mini skirts, what would happen to them??? probably thrown in prison or deported on an indecency charge......."
And your point is?
It seems that the veil has now become a political weapon and a statement of separation. It's the problem of replacing multi-racial integration of the 70's with multi-culturalism of the present. We now see ghettos based on religion and race where there shouldn't be any. I used to consider myself colour-blind as far as people were concerned, but that was when we had integration. Now it's more difficult because people use their religion as an excuse to separate. It's also the fact that somebody chooses not to speak English so as to separate.
But I wouldn't trust anybody who wore any type of mask in public. If I couldn't see their face, their expressions, etc, then as far as I am concerned, they have something to hide and can't be trusted.
I would have more respect for the French if they banned hats, facial hair, sunglasses, false tan, balaclava, ski masks and plastic surgery as well as the veil. These are all acceptable ways that people use to hide their identity from police and CCTV
But you have to admire the French in a way as they would rather lock horns with the court of human rights than expose their people to the atrocities that could be caused by a known terrorist male or female using the veil as cover to suicide bomb a public event.
I know I am generalising but it is 2010 and the world is terrorism paranoid so if these people really wanted us to make Britain a safer place for everyone they could all agree to stop wearing what is after all a voluntary form of headgear.
I suppose from their point of view while we are all staring and tutting at women in veils (I would never waste a pie) the real terrorists are plotting with anonymity around the corner.
[quote name=Derek Wilkinson]Try wearing a mini-skirt in Saudi Arabia!!!!![/quote]
Why? Do you aspire to Britain becoming like Saudi? Or would you prefer it to remain as a liberal democracy upholding its liberal democratic traditions?
A law should be put in place asking fat women wearing mini skirts on a Friday Saturday night to cover up.
[quote name=Andy., Bury]Why? Do you aspire to Britain becoming like Saudi? Or would you prefer it to remain as a liberal democracy upholding its liberal democratic traditions?[/quote]
"Liberal democratic traditions" are slowly but surely being trodden into the dust by Muslims. If they wish to live in a democracy they should leave all their baggage behind and integrate into our society like most other races/creeds/religions have done successfully. I lived in a Muslim country for three years while in the military and always complied with and respected their way of life. When in Rome...etc.
"I have always supported the right of women to choose how they dress and any attempt to try to stifle this right – especially of Muslim women – should be strongly challenged."
I would like the writer of this article to explain why, in the above, she has written "especially of Muslim women". Why "especially"? It makes a contradiction of everything else written if they are deemed to need special dispensation to be able to 'choose' to do something.
@blackflag
so if a bunch of european women turned up in a muslim country wearing mini skirts, what would happen to them??? probably thrown in prison or deported on an indecency charge.......
Please let us know the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.
You ask my point? thought it was pretty obvious personally, but let me explain. Muslim countries dont tolerate our cultures/dress sense as much as we do here in the UK. So my point is that if Brits go to muslim countries we tend to integrate and accept the new cultures. Why do other cultures come to the UK and not integrate the same way and accept our cultures and laws
No one cared about Muslim dress until 2001.
Tarring all Muslims with the terrorist brush is a blood libel no different from the ones foisted on the Jews for being 'christ killers'.
Cheer on the bigots all you like but one day they'll take YOUR freedoms. In fact, they already are doing.
"I have always supported the right of women to choose how they dress and any attempt to try to stifle this right – especially of Muslim women – should be strongly challenged."
So the rights of muslim women should be protected more than those of non-muslim women?
If not all muslim women who wear the Burkha are coerced into doing so by muslim men then why don't those women demonstrate their freedom of choice by not wearing it? If it is the choice of some women to wear the veil then why do they choose to do so? What reasons does islam give for women to cover themselves up to such an extent in public?
Personally I don't like the veils, they're black and sinister looking and they surely don't promote a society where people integrate and interact with each other. Some of the traditional muslim dress is so colouful and attractive, why can't the women in burkhas wear that instead?
Derek Wilkinson: ""Liberal democratic traditions" are slowly but surely being trodden into the dust by Muslims. If they wish to live in a democracy they should leave all their baggage behind and integrate into our society like most other races/creeds/religions have done successfully. I lived in a Muslim country for three years while in the military and always complied with and respected their way of life. When in Rome...etc."
In that case, when you're in Britain, maybe you should respect the British tradition of keeping your nose out of other people's business.
Why is it that people who rant about Britain becoming like country X so often end up arguing that we should copy the approach taken by country X?
[quote name=Derek Wilkinson]"Liberal democratic traditions" are slowly but surely being trodden into the dust by Muslims. If they wish to live in a democracy they should leave all their baggage behind and integrate into our society like most other races/creeds/religions have done successfully. I lived in a Muslim country for three years while in the military and always complied with and respected their way of life. When in Rome...etc.[/quote]
Not seen any traditions being "trodden in the dust" by local Muslims, just the usual noisemakers on the internet who loudly proclaim their Britishness whilst spewing sentiments which really are not in keeping with British values. I presume though that you also wish to see the skullcap banned and that you are apoplectic with rage every time you drive through Prestwich? The turban? Should that go too? Maybe you'll only be happy if everyone is compelled to dress in something which is irrefutably of British origin - perhaps the uniform of the Morris Dancer?
themanc: "You ask my point? thought it was pretty obvious personally..."
It was, I just wanted you to state it explicitly because it is so contradictory.
"...but let me explain. Muslim countries dont tolerate our cultures/dress sense as much as we do here in the UK."
In many cases that's true, because, unlike countries such as Saudi Arabia, we aren't quite as much of an authoritarian hell-hole which demands that we comply with a strict dress code set down by our rulers.
"So my point is that if Brits go to muslim countries we tend to integrate and accept the new cultures. Why do other cultures come to the UK and not integrate the same way and accept our cultures and laws"
The only person who isn't accepting our culture is you. You are arguing that we should change our culture to be more like Saudi Arabia. The dress code you want to enforce is different, but the relevant issue is that you think it is legitimate for the state to enforce a dress code based on some arbitrary issue of taste.
It is you who is implying that British laws should be changed to suit your tastes and it is you whose views are incompatible with British traditions and culture.
[quote name=Black Flag]Derek Wilkinson: ""Liberal democratic traditions" are slowly but surely being trodden into the dust by Muslims. If they wish to live in a democracy they should leave all their baggage behind and integrate into our society like most other races/creeds/religions have done successfully. I lived in a Muslim country for three years while in the military and always complied with and respected their way of life. When in Rome...etc."
In that case, when you're in Britain, maybe you should respect the British tradition of keeping your nose out of other people's business.
Why is it that people who rant about Britain becoming like country X so often end up arguing that we should copy the approach taken by country X?[/quote]
Excuse me, but I was born and bred in Great Britain. Because I now choose to live abroad does not make me any less British when visiting my place of birth. So your advice to me, to keep my nose out of other people's business when visiting the UK, is a redundant piece of drivel, uttered by an obviously ill-educated bottom feeder.
What a load of nonsense. This paper is so far left now it's on the hard shoulder.
Derek Wilkinson: "Excuse me, but I was born and bred in Great Britain. Because I now choose to live abroad does not make me any less British when visiting my place of birth."
It's got nothing to do with the fact that you live abroad. In fact, there was nothing in you comment that even indicated that you currently live abroad. The point, which Andy from Bury has already outlined nicely, was that, if you're going to go around demanding that everybody in a country respects that country's traditions, then you should practice what you preach.
"So your advice to me, to keep my nose out of other people's business when visiting the UK, is a redundant piece of drivel, uttered by an obviously ill-educated bottom feeder."
I have no doubt that I am both better educated and far more intelligent than you.
How come hoodies were banned without all this fuss?