Plans to ban Muslim women from covering their faces in public areas are oppressive, the leader of the Respect party said yesterday.
Salma Yaqoob’s comments came as the UK Independence Party (UKIP) announced a formal policy that would make the wearing of garments such as the burka or the niqab — both of which conceal most of the face — to be illegal.
Nigel Farage, the former UKIP leader and MEP, said: “In a liberal democracy we want to tolerate different religions and cultures and not have a small section of society impose their world view on the rest of us.” Announcing the policy, Mr Farage, who will contest John Bercow’s Buckingham seat in the election, said that Britain faced a “ghettoisation” that was a threat to society. “There is nothing extreme or radical about this. We can’t go on living in a divided society,” Mr Farage said.
Ms Yaqoob said: “We do not need a man or a woman telling people what to wear.”
However, in a study to be released this month, David Voas, of the University of Manchester, found that 42 per cent of Britons said people should not be allowed to dress in a way that shows their faith, such as wearing veils, turbans or crucifixes.
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Professor Voas found “weak” support for the free expression of unpopular or potentially dangerous religious views. Only one third of those questioned believed that religious extremists who believe theirs is the one truth faith and others are enemies should be allowed to hold public meetings or publish books expressing these views.
Burkhas and niqabs are garments which cover a woman from head to toe, but the former conceals her face with a mesh window, while the latter exposes her eyes.
Speaking to The Times yesterday, Mr Farage said: “We want to kick off a national debate. What kind of country are we living in — do we want to live under the same law or be increasingly divided?”
UKIP has said that it is alarmed by the increasing prevalence of Sharia law within Britain.