THE UK immigration minister ruled out a ban on wearing the burqa in public, saying it would be “rather un-British.”
Damian Green said it would be “undesirable” for parliament to try to pass such a law, as it goes against the UK’s “tolerant and mutually respectful society.”
His comments came despite more than two-thirds of British voters saying they favoured a ban on full-face veils in a recent poll, Sky News reported.
French lawmakers voted almost unanimously to ban the burqa, but Mr Green said it was “very unlikely” the move would be copied over the Channel.
“Telling people what they can and can’t wear, if they’re just walking down the street, is a rather un-British thing to do,” he told The Sunday Telegraph in the UK.
Speaking on Sky News Sunday Live, the UK environment secretary added that a ban on the burqa was not “what this country’s all about.”
“I don’t, living in this country as a woman, want to be told what I can and can’t wear,” Caroline Spelman said.
“One of the things we pride ourselves on in this country is being free, and being free to choose what you wear is a part of that.”
A bill was introduced by Conservative Party lawmaker Philip Hollobone that would make it illegal for people to cover their faces in public, although it is not expected to have much success.
One of those who thinks the burqa should be outlawed is the chairman of the Muslim Education Centre in Oxford, southern England.
“We’re not telling these women what they can wear. We’re telling them the only thing they should do is uncover their faces,” said imam Taj Hargey.
“I think this notion that somehow this is a religious symbol, a Koranic requirement, is nonsense.”
In April, Belgium became the first country in Europe to outlaw the burqa in public places. Spanish politicians are set to debate the issue after the country’s leading opposition party said it had put forward a motion to be discussed in parliament this week.
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