Category Archives: Hijab

Hollobone introduces veil ban bill

Posted on by Bob Pitt

One Conservative MP, Philip Hollobone, is hoping that Britain will follow Belgium and introduce a repressive ban on the niqab and the burqa. He will present his Private Members Face Coverings (Regulation) Bill in the House of Commons today. The Parliament website describes it as:

A Bill to regulate the wearing of certain face coverings; and for connected purposes.

The bill appears to stop short of calling for a full ban, although it would restrict the wearing of the full-face veil in public places such as banks, post offices and school entrances.

But Hollobone clearly views it as a first step and has previously made his support for a full ban clear. During a Commons debate on International Women’s Day he said:

The phrase that has been given to me time and again is, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” This is Britain; we are not a Muslim country. Covering one’s face in public is strange, and to many people it is intimidating and offensive. I seriously think that a ban on wearing the niqab or the burka in public should be considered.

Like other supporters of an illiberal ban, Hollobone has yet to provide a convincing answer to the point that those who complain that Islamist men tell women how to dress are doing precisely this by calling for a ban. On matters of sexual equality, Muslim women would be better served by the enforcement of existing laws against domestic violence than by the enactment of new laws restricting their dress.

The Staggers, 30 June 2010

See also “Tory MP launches first legal bid to ban burkha in Britain”, Daily Mail, 30 June 2010

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Spain: Amnesty urges politicians to reject veil ban

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Amnesty logoThe regional parliament in Catalonia is due to vote on a ban on the use of the face-covering veil and the burqa in public, fueling debates over the freedom of rights in the country.

The motion was put down by two conservative parliament members demanding that Catalonia “adopt the legal reforms necessary to ban the wearing of clothes that totally cover the face.” The ban is expected to be in effect in all public areas as well as public buildings throughout the northeastern region.

Meanwhile, one day ahead of the vote, human rights group Amnesty International called on Catalonia’s lawmakers to remove the motion.

“Any wide-ranging ban will violate the rights to freedom of expression and religion of those women who choose to wear a full-face veil as an expression of their identity or beliefs,” John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s expert on discrimination in Europe, said. “Women should be free to choose what and what not to wear. This is their right under international human rights law” he added.

The move by Catalonia comes as several other cities, including Barcelona, have approved bans on the use of the Islamic veil in public over the past weeks. Earlier on Monday, Coin – a small town in the southern region of Andalucia – was the first town outside of Catalonia to ban the veil in public buildings.

The banning measures come as the socialist government of Spain argues that the use of such body-covering garments is best opposed through education instead of imposing restrictions. Human rights activists, for their part, maintain that such a ruling would violate the European Convention on Human Rights, which is expected to guarantee the fundamental liberties of individuals.

Press TV, 29 June 2010

See also Amnesty news release, 29 June 2010

Another Spanish town bans the veil

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A small town in southern Spain on Monday became the latest municipality in the country to ban the use of the face-covering Islamic veil in public buildings.

The municipal council in Coin, a town of some 21,000 inhabitants in the Andalucia region near the city of Malaga, approved the measure by a large majority. The ban will be imposed in all public buildings, including schools and sports centres, but not in the rest of the town.

In recent weeks several municipalities in the northeastern region of Catalonia, including the city of Barcelona, have announced bans on the use of face-covering Islamic veils in public or are considering doing so.

Spain’s upper house of parliament last week also approved a motion calling on Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s socialist government to ban the use of the Islamic veil in public.

Earlier this month Justice Minister Francisco Caamano said the government planned to restrict the use of veils in public places under a proposed new law on religious freedom.

AFP, 28 June 2010

City of Stockholm pays compensation to woman thrown off training course for wearing headscarf

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The City of Stockholm is to pay 35,000 kronor ($4,500) in compensation to a woman who was forced to leave a municipal training course for wearing a long headscarf.

The course was aimed at helping people secure jobs in the cleaning business. But when the woman arrived at class the first day she was told that prospective employers would not accept the way she dressed. As a result, the woman’s name was struck off the list of course participants.

The incident, which occurred in April 2008, was reported to the Equality Ombudsman (Diskrimineringsombudsmannen – DO). The ombudsman elected to sue the city on grounds of discrimination but on Thursday the two sides were able to reach an out of court settlement.

“Ethnic and religious diversity are part of today’s Swedish labour market. Employers are bound by law to prevent religious discrimination and unions have a key role to play in driving this issue,” said ombudsman Katri Linna in a statement announcing the compensation agreement

The Local, 26 June 2010

Tory MP to present Private Members Bill against veil

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Philip HolloboneA Kettering MP who has led calls to ban Muslim women from wearing the burka in Britain is to ask Parliament to restrict its use.

Philip Hollobone, Conservative MP for Kettering, will present his Private Members Face Coverings (Regulation) Bill in the House of Commons on Wednesday in the wake of a Council of Europe ruling saying no bans should be imposed. MPs from 47 countries voted that outlawing the hijab would deny women the right to cover their faces even if they genuinely want to.

Mr Hollobone, who previously likened wearing the garment to “going around with a paper bag over your head“, said: “The ruling clearly demonstrates that members of the council of the EU are out of touch with popular opinion.

“What they said does leave open the possibility of restrictions on the wearing of burkas for security and other reasons – it doesn’t forbid any measure. If motorcyclists have to take their helmet off when they go into shops and banks the same rules should apply to people wearing the burka.”

A private member’s bill is a proposed law introduced by a backbench MP for the House of Commons to debate but does not automatically become law if MPs vote in its favour.

Inam Khan, chairman of the Kettering Muslim Association, said: “This has never been an issue in Kettering. There are only two females in the entire population of 35,000 here who wear the hijab. I don’t understand why it has become an issue, especially when there are such serious other issues affecting the country.

“You will never, ever speak to anybody who works in a bank or a shop or a newsagent in Kettering who has had an issue with this.”

Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph, 25 June 2010

Express attacks ‘Eurocrats’ for defending right to wear the veil

Posted on by Bob Pitt

You Can't Ban the BurkhaEurope backed the burkha yesterday by ruling that the controversial Muslim veils should not be banned.

MPs from 47 countries voted unanimously that outlawing the full-face veils would deny women “who genuinely and freely desire to do so” the right to cover their faces.

The Council of Europe’s resolution is not binding on members of the group, which includes all European countries except Belarus, as well as Turkey. But the vote by the human rights group threatens to torpedo bans planned in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain as it could open governments up to costly legal battles.

Last night the ruling was condemned as “out of touch”. UKIP leader Lord Pearson said: “This vote just highlights the disconnection between the appointed politicians of the Council of Europe and the peoples of Europe. They refused to represent the people’s wishes, preferring to hold them in contempt.”

Tory MP Philip Hollobone said: “It just goes to show how out of touch European politicians are with popular opinion. I have no doubt that the majority of the British public are against the wearing of the burkha and the full-face niqab veil.”

The Council of Europe also branded the Swiss bigots for their ban on the construction of Islamic minarets. Last year Switzerland banned the building of the minarets – towers used to call Muslims to prayer – after a nationwide referendum. Politicians claimed the minarets represent militant Islam.

Daily Express, 24 June 2010

See also ENGAGE, 24 June 2010

European MPs vote against bans on veils and minarets

Posted on by Bob Pitt

MPs from 47 countries have unanimously voted against a general ban on the wearing of the burka in public.

The Parliamentary Assembly of Europe’s human rights watchdog, the Council of Europe, passed a resolution warning that if governments imposed such a ban they would be denying women “who genuinely and freely desire to do so” their right to cover their faces.

The resolution was part of a report on Islam, Islamism and Islamophobia, which also called on European governments to work to educate Muslim women, their families and communities on their human rights and to encourage them to take part in “public and professional life”.

It also called on Switzerland to repeal as soon as possible its general ban on the construction of minarets, which it described as discriminatory.

Associated Press, 23 June 2010

See also Swissinfo, 23 June 2010

Spanish Senate calls for nationwide ban on veil

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Spanish Senate on Wednesday approved a motion urging Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s government to ban Islamic all-body veils in public places.

The government needed to take legal measures against the niqab, which covers the entire body except for the eyes, and against the burqa, which hides even the eyes, the motion said.

It was approved with the narrow majority of 131 votes against 129, with two conservative parties backing it, while Zapatero’s Socialists and others voted against.

Spain should outlaw “any usage, custom or discriminatory practice that limits the freedom of women,” said the document, which was drafted by the main conservative opposition People’s Party (PP).

The Socialists, on the other hand, argued that the use of all-body veils was best opposed through education and by using the current legislation, which already prohibits people with covered faces from entering public buildings.

Eight Spanish municipalities, located mainly in the north-eastern region of Catalonia, have outlawed or are planning to outlaw all-body veils in public places. The Senate is now seeking a nationwide ban.

Critics say the Spanish debate on the burqa and niqab is only political point-scoring, because all-body veils are rare in the country.

DPA, 23 June 2010