Comments on: Should Britain ban the Burka?

By: James Grant

James Grant — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:37:51 +0000

My wife and I are travelling to the middle east soon. If we both wore Burkas and presented our passports questions would be asked as to who is who. If I or my wife travelled alone qustions would still be asked because of the christian names on the passport. If I changed my name to Fatima Ahmed by deed poll and used her passport no would be asked, regardless of gender, perfect disguise for all terrorists.
Ban this degrading garment in the UK and Europe, it is hostile to all western values.

By: MC

MC — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:50:05 +0000

Yes, ban the damn burka, it is well known that 75% or more of communication is not verbal, so they have no argument there, also I have no problem with different religious people displaying their faith in different ways, but to cover your whole body is rediculous as well as a security risk for people who would abuse it.
If I walked into my local town centre covered in black and with a mask covering my face, Im sure I would be arrested in about 10 seconds.

By: AJ

AJ — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:47:59 +0000

My concern is that it absolves men of responsibility and goes back to the old, ’she was asking fot it because she was wearing a short skirt’, attitude. This is an idea that, if it becomes prevalent in society, affects ALL women. If men wore a burqa as well then I wouldn’t see it as sexist.

On the ‘protection’ issue, what would happen if a black person, say, went to the police to complain about racial harrassment and was told to wear a burqa so that people couldn’t see their skin colour?

Finally, why can’t people have a civilized debate about this without resorting to childish name-calling and insults?

By: JayKay

JayKay — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:42:52 +0000

@Stublore – ‘the major difference between the burkha and the bikini is that one cannot walk into a store and rob it in a bikini, well because everyone can see your face!’

And other bits. I doubt anyone would be looking at the face. Especially if there was running involved in the getaway. In fact, they might even get away with the theft as it’s actually quite a good bit of misdirection to wear a bikini on a robbery… Hmmm.

A black tent. The choice of every discerning woman in the summer heat. You would, wouldn’t you?

By: Stublore

Stublore — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:20:47 +0000

@Sara Leighs
I know it may be a bit hard to grasp, but the major difference between the burkha and the bikini is that one cannot walk into a store and rob it in a bikini, well because everyone can see your face!
If people are not allowed in public with their face covered up, ie Balaclava’s, Ninja headgear etc, why should someone be able to flout the law merely on the basis of their “faith”?
Only recently a “Jedi” was removed from a supermarket, because he also followed his faith, which required his face to be concealed in a hoodie. What is the difference between the 2 when you get right down to it?
They are both concealing the identity of the wearer and both are doing it because of their faith.

By: Sara Leighs - English revert to Islam

Sara Leighs - English revert to Islam — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:12:47 +0000

This debate can’t really come to a logical conclusion in the UK anyway with so many myths, factual inaccuracies and outright racism floating about, encouraged by Daily Mailesque vitrol.
The niqaab hindering communication is a non-issue, in Muslim countries there are many niqaab wearing women working and living out prefectly normal lives,
1.Niqaab predates Islam 2. MINORITY of women are forced to wear it, it’s generally a personal choice like Nuns, or goths etc. 3. Niqaab DOES stop unwanted stares from men, in the western male mind all women are supposed to deal with pervy looks, even like them. We don’t.
At the end of the day it IS a peice of cloth. If a woman has the right to walk around in a bikini why doesn’t a Brit woman have the right to cover her face in the UK?
Storm in…

By: The Sundry Chronicles

The Sundry Chronicles — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 02:04:08 +0000

[...] have just fulminated around, all by myself, on the subject but I ended up on an article about it on Derren Brown’s excellent blog. Now that even the Brits are officially joining the crusade, that was too [...]

By: kiwwwi786

kiwwwi786 — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:01:35 +0000

Heeellloo Alll,

Im a muslim, born in britain and have always lived here. I do not wear the burka but i do wear a headscarf. Wearing the burka, as i understand it, is a personal choice, but i think that the women wearing the burka should consider and respect the customs and rules of this country, which is obviously the point of identity.

I wear a headscarf and have for many years, and i believe that i do what the quran tells me to do, which is to dress modestly if i am a woman…

this is the part in the quran in which it says this:

“And say to the faithful women to lower their gazes, and to guard their private parts, and not to display their beauty except what is apparent of it, and to extend their head coverings to cover their bosoms, and not to display their beauty except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons, or their brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their womenfolk, or what their right hands rule (slaves), or the followers from the men who do not feel sexual desire, or the small children to whom the nakedness of women is not apparent…” (Surah An Nur: 31) holy quran

http://quran-hadith-studies.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_is_hijab#ixzz0KFBhs7PT&D

i beleve that when god states, to not disply there beaut, i think that is where the confusion between islamic sects and tribes come from. You will find that some muslims like mylsef, would interpret this as having to cover your hair and breasts, neck and arms. Others would argue that a woman has to cover her face too…which is why some women wear the burka…but it is more a traditional and cultural thing then an islamic one…if you understand…=)

By: Siobhan

Siobhan — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:26:34 +0000

Interesting link from the Reason Project with some relevance to this…

http://www.reasonproject.org/newsfeed/item/qaeda_seeks_revenge_against_france_over_burqa/

By: Lyvvie

Lyvvie — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:34:06 +0000

“Is there a danger that males in the audience will be attracted to every female’s face here in the studio?” “Well…not necessarily every female face.” She called half the women in the audience uggos. She’s pretty much proved that she doesn’t have a very good reason for wearing the burqa. She wasn’t even being aggressively questioned and she faltered on simple queries. BBC One Show had a far better defender of the burqa on this week. I’m not sure we should ban the burqa, although I think it’s ridiculous.

I used to work in a bank and couldn’t serve women wearing burqas because I couldn’t lip read them and would have to pass them to another teller. I’m not profoundly deaf by a long shot, but when concealing the mouth, I find it extremely difficult to understand what people say. They would sigh and give frustrated eye-rolls, because they thought I was being prejudiced perhaps, but really they are alienating themselves from society. At least from the society of the hearing impaired.