One of the candidates vying to replace Nigel Farage as UKIP leader has called for women to be banned from wearing the Muslim burka or niqab, extremist veils that cover the face, in public buildings, shopping centres and on buses and trains in the UK.
In a speech delivered in London today, Lisa Duffy described the face veil as “a symbol of aggressive separatism that can only foster extremism” and claimed that it is often “forced on women by men who view them as their property”.
She also demanded the closure of Islamic faith schools while Islamist terrorism remains a threat in the UK, as well as a “complete and comprehensive ban” on sharia courts in the UK.
She said her proposals are designed to encourage integration.
Her remarks come in the wake of a campaign launched by a group of men in Iran who have begun wearing headscarves and posting pictures of themselves on social media to protest against a law that makes it compulsory for women to wear a hijab – the less extreme form of veiling some Muslim women wear which displays the face. Islam does not mandate veiling for men or women, and many prominent Muslim women like Queen Rania of Jordan and in the UK MPs like Nusrat Ghani MP (Con, Wealden) or Naz Shah MP (Lab, Bradford West) do not cover their hair.
Under the hashtag #MenInHijab these men want to show solidarity with women who are forced nonetheless to cover up their hair in public – under a law enforced by state police.
The #MenInHijab campaign has generated media coverage around the world.
In her speech, Duffy also argued that “Muslims who were born in this country … are as British as I am and I simply want them to feel as British as I do”.
She explained that she wants to “set out a path of opportunity” for young Muslim women who have been told by men what they should wear, what leisure activities they should pursue, and who they should marry.
While stopping short of a complete ban on the face veil, Duffy said that, under her leadership, UKIP would advocate a “show your face in public” policy.
She said: “On our public transport networks, in public buildings, banks, stores and shopping precincts – all those places where teenagers are told to take their hoodies down and where motorcyclists are expected to remove their helmets – it is only reasonable to expect everyone to show their faces.”
She also said the rule should apply “just as much to the retinues accompanying Middle Eastern princes to London as it will to Muslim women living in Britain” and that it should not be regarded as Islamophobic for someone to politely request a woman to remove a face veil in public.