Why BANNING THE BURQA is right!
The David Vance BriefingRead More
When it comes to the SNP-controlled Scottish Assembly. nothing should really surprise us. So when Reform MSPs were accused of “racism” after they tabled a Holyrood debate about banning face-coverings, including burkas, from public places, it was only to be expected.
I have long argued that burqas and niqabs, the outward and visible symbols of Islam, should be banned from the public realm. Other European countries like Denmark have gone down this route and we have to ask why the UK is so frightened to follow.
I think what has happened in Scotland helps reveal the answer to that question.
It all started when Reform’s deputy leader in Scotland, Thomas Kerr, lodged a motion raising the prospect of balaclavas and religious face coverings being outlawed in public in the interests of public safety.
During a debate in the chamber, he described burqas as “oppressive” and said they had “no place in modern Scotland”.
On both points, I fully agree. If Muslim women want to wear them in private, that’s their business but when is worn in the public square that is OUR business.
Kerr asked for the Scottish government to consider the “potential benefits” of such a move “including consideration of public safety, individual liberty and community cohesion”
The ludicrous Scottish First Minister John Swinney was immediately triggered and alleged Reform MSPs were seeking to divide communities, while protesters outside Holyrood accused the party of demonising Muslim women.
But what is more “divisive” than Muslim women wandering around in the public square with their faces and identity hidden? Is this integrating into Scottish life? Or is an assertion on their separateness from Scottish Life?
Why is John Swinney so keen to allow Muslims to stay apart from everyday Scottish life? Let’s look at a few facts. Muslims make up a small but growing segment of the Scottish population. The most recent estimate is 2.2% in 2022. That’s not a lot but when you look at where it is located, we see that the highest concentration of Muslims is in Glasgow, where they make up roughly 7.86% of the city’s population. Glasgow is also a very important constituency for the SNP. All of a sudden, Swinney’s munificence towards the key Muslim voting base takes on a slightly different and more cynical perspective.
Let’s remember that Glasgow has long been known as Scotland’s primary “sanctuary city,” hosting more “asylum seekers” and “refugees” per capita than any other UK local authority since joining the UK Home Office dispersal scheme in 1999.
In short, Glasgow is a festering hotspot for Muslims migrants and Swinney wants their voteS. So banning their dark ages face garbs is something he will simply not countenance. At face value, he is happy for them to hide their faces!
Of course, it’s not just Swinney and the SNP good squad there are outraged at the Reform request for a debate on the issue of Burqas in the public realm. Muslim activists stand with them. Talat Yaqoob, co-convener of Women Against The Far Right Scotland, accused Reform of racism during a speech to protesters outside parliament. She claims that while women should not be forced to wear face coverings, “the Scottish Parliament should not be involved in the policing of women”. She further suggested that Reform politicians were conflating the “burka and the threat of men in balaclavas”, adding: “Women should be free to wear whatever they choose.”
Islam begs to differ, Talat. In that most Islamic country of Afghanistan, women and girls were a face covering or else;
Fatma El Araby, an “anti-racism campaigner” who wears a face covering due to her Muslim faith, told BBC Scotland News: “It’s part of my belief and no-one should decide for me what to do or not to do.”
Listen, Fatma, you can wear what you want. In the privacy of your own home. But what is worn in the public space is not determined by Muslims living in Scotland but by ALL the people living in Scotland.
I suspect that the real reason the UK Government will refuse to ban the burqa is because it is terrified of what the response would be. Fear controls it. This is odd given that we are relentlessly gaslit into believing that Islam is the religion of peace!
