What is the burka ban, what’s the law in the UK, is the burqa a religious requirement and what did Boris Johnson say?
FACE veils are worn by some Muslim women in accordance with certain Islamic traditions that insist on “modesty” in public.
There have been calls to ban them in the UK – and Boris Johnson got into hot water when he waded into the subject. Here’s what you need to know.
What is the difference between a burka and a niqab?
A burka is the most concealing of all Islamic veils. It is a one-piece veil that covers the face and body, often leaving just a mesh screen to see through.
The niqab is face-veil that leaves the area around the eyes clear.
It is worn with an accompanying headscarf and may be worn with a separate eye veil.
There are several types of Islamic headscarves that do not cover the face including the hijab.
Is it a religious requirement?
The Koran calls for both men and women to “cover and be modest” but makes no reference to the burka.
As with many other religious scriptures, the reference to dress is open to interpretation.
It has been shaped by centuries of cultures in different nations.
Face veils are more common in some Islamic countries than others, and within cultures there are some people who dress more conservatively.
What is the law in the UK?
Prime Minister Theresa May ruled out a burka ban in the UK when questioned during a PMQs session in 2017, saying the move would be “divisive”.
She said: “It is absolutely the case that this country welcomes refugees to the United Kingdom, and we do so regardless of their religion.
“There is no question of discriminating.
“I believe that what a woman wears is a woman’s choice.”
Ukip deputy party leader Peter Whittle has called for a ban on the burka, which he called “a potent symbol of female oppression”.
But British beekeepers said a ban on face coverings would mean they could not wear safety equipment.
Where in Europe is the face veil an issue?
Denmark
On May 31, 2018, Denmark became the latest European country to ban the burka.
The Danish parliament voted 75-30 in favour of outlawing face coverings in public places, which politicians say go against Danish values.
Fines range from 1,000 Danish crowns (£118) for a first offence to 10,000 crowns (£1,180) for a fourth violation.
The ban came into effect on August 1.
Just two days later a woman became the first to be fined for refusing to remove a niqab.
She had allegedly got into a fight with another woman who tried to rip off her veil at a shopping centre in Copenhagen.
Germany
In 2017, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a ban on face veils in Germany.
She said they should be outlawed “wherever legally possible” as migrants were expected to integrate more.
Merkel made the pledge at her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party’s annual conference after recently declaring she would be seeking re-election for a historic fourth term.
It came after months of criticism from her own party and beyond of the way she handled the migrant crisis.
France
In 2004 the French parliament banned all religious symbols from state schools, including the face veil.
A 2011 law forbade faces from being covered in public, including by face veils and balaclavas.
Issues around face veils have proved a central test for candidates vying for the French Presidency.
Main contenders Marine Le Pen of the far right National Front and Francois Villon of the centre-right Republicans pledged tougher enforcement of facial veil bans.
In the summer French coastal towns banned women from wearing the Islam-compliant ‘burkinis’ on public beaches.
In October, 2018 the United Nations ruled that the laws on the face veil violated the human rights of two two women who were fined for wearing them in public.
Holland
In November Dutch politicians voted for a partial ban on face veils being worn in schools, hospitals and on public transport.
However it must be approved by the parliament’s upper house before it can be signed into law.
Switzerland
Swiss politicians voted in September 2016 to outlaw face veils, however it is yet to be ratified.
The local Italian-speaking canton of Ticino has already banned full face veils.
Swiss voters approved the ‘burka ban’ in St. Gallen region after two-thirds back veil crackdown.
The regional government, which had opposed the measure, now has to implement the result of the vote, which drew turnout of about 36 percent.
Belgium
Belgium banned full-face veils being worn in public in 2011.
Latvia
In April 2016 Latvia banned the full face veil in public.
Spain
Barcelona and several other Catalan towns and cities banned full-face veils from local government buildings in 2010.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria banned facial coverings being worn in public in September 2016.
Italy
In January 2016 the local government in the province of Lombardy banned Islamic veils being worn in government offices and hospitals following pressure from the anti-immigrant Northern League movement.
What did Boris Johnson say about face veils?
Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson could be told to go on a diversity training course rather than be chucked out of the party over his controversial burka comments.
In a newspaper column in August 2018, he said burkas make women look like “bank robbers” or “letterboxes”.
But he also said Denmark was wrong to make it illegal to wear a veil in public.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph he said: “If you say that it is weird and bullying to expect women to cover their faces, then I totally agree.
“I would go further and say that it is absolutely ridiculous that people should choose to go around looking like letter boxes.”
And he added that if “a female student turned up at school or at a university lecture looking like a bank robber” he would ask her to remove it to speak to her.
The Muslim Council of Britain accused Mr Johnson of “pandering to the far right”, and Labour’s David Lammy called him a “pound-shop Donald Trump”.
Tory party chairman Brandon Lewis demanded Mr Johnson apologise and PM Theresa May piled on the pressure by saying his comments “obviously have offended”.
Allies of Mr Johnson called the demands to apologise an attack on free speech.
He was backed by a leading imam, who said in a letter to the Times that face veils pose security risks and subjugate women, and Mr Johnson had not gone far enough.
A poll by Sky News found most Brits did not think what Mr Johnson said was racist, and Met chief Cressida Dick said the comment did not constitute a hate crime.
But the Tory party said he would be investigated after a number of complaints that he breached the party’s code of conduct.
What did former COE bishop Michael Nazir-Ali say about the issue?
Senior Church of England bishop Michael Nazir-Ali called for a near-total ban on the wearing of burkas in public in the wake of the Johnson row.
He said burkas and niqabs should be outlawed in hospitals, GP surgeries and schools.
And he said for “reasons of national security alone” the burka should not be allowed in Parliament or even town halls.
He told “We have all seen how even male terrorists have escaped arrest by donning a burka and making an effective getaway.”
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