British Muslim radicals were among at least 61 people arrested in Paris today in connection with an illegal rally against France’s burkha ban. They included Anjem Choudary, the radical cleric who advocates sharia law for the UK and who calls British soldiers murderers.
What do you think? Should Britain have a ban on the burkha, (and associated Islamic headgear).
I'm uncomfortable with the Burkha. It's my belief that if immigrants come here from the third world, then they should try and adhere to the customs of the host country. If I went to Pakistan, I wouldn't wear a kilt, (not that I wear one much now), nor would I wear traditional western trousers, if that wasn't the custom. In fact those nightie things the men wear there look very comfy. On the other hand, my instincts tell me that people should be able to dress as they want. Where I do have worries though is how many Muslim women actually want to dress in traditional Muslim garb and how many are doing it because of their husbands?
There is also the security aspect. Who knows who is underneath a Burkha? Who knows if it's even a woman? Can they see properly? Should they be allowed to drive wearing headgear? So, I would say on balance, although I don't have any strong opinions either way, I would say that on balance, the banning of Islamic headgear for women would be desirable.
The UK Independence Party is to call for a ban on the burka and the niqab — the Islamic cloak that covers women from head to toe and the mask that conceals most of the face — claiming they affront British values.
The policy, which a number of European countries are also debating, is an attempt by UKIP to broaden its appeal and address the concerns of disaffected white working-class voters. UKIP would be the first national party to call for a total ban on burkas, though the far-Right BNP believes they should be banned from schools.
Lord Pearson of Rannoch, the leader of UKIP, said yesterday: “We are taking expert advice on how we could do it. It makes sense to ban the burka — or anything which conceals a woman’s face — in public buildings. But we want to make it possible to ban them in private buildings. It isn’t right that you can’t see someone’s face in an airport.” He explained that UKIP wanted to bring to the fore the issue of the increasing influence of Sharia in Britain: “We are not Muslim bashing, but this is incompatible with Britain’s values of freedom and democracy.” (Strange choice of words when you want to ban something).
I think it will be surprising how many people will vote for a 'single issue party' at the coming election. I just caught the tail end of 'Question Time' last night, but I'm sure I heard one of the panelists saying that one of her constituents was going to vote BNP because 'they were going to sort out the wheelie bins'! Sometimes you forget how stupid people can be. I think if I was in England, my vote would certainly be going to UKIP. Are UKIP the 'thinking mans'" BNP. I don't think so and they are promising to flesh out their policies unlike some of the other parties. Remember they came second to the Tories in England in the EURO elections and depending on how many votes they get, the election will be greatly influenced. If Labour lose votes to the BNP, them the Tories will lose votes to UKIP, particularly amongst disaffected Tory voters who wanted a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
