By Munira Mirza
It is difficult to know whether Boris Johnson’s comments nigh the burka would bring provoked the same hysteria had they been made exterior the August dizzy season, but 1 suspects they would non bring received much discover if said yesteryear almost whatever other senior politician. Ken Clarke has argued for a ban on wearing the burka inward constabulary courts, describing the garment every bit “a form of bag”. None of the people directly lining upwardly to laid upwardly on Johnson were song nigh Clarke’s comments. Emily Thornberry said she wouldn’t desire a adult woman inward a burka looking afterward her child. The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police didn’t seek guidance every bit to whether her remarks constituted a criminal offence. If Jeremy Wright in addition to Ruth Davidson really believe that anyone who describes the burka inward derogatory damage is ‘crossing a line’, in addition to then nosotros must inquire why they bring never criticised the many other senior politicians who bring done so, such every bit Anna Soubry in addition to Sadiq Khan.
In fact, Johnson’s article was reasonable, balanced in addition to a thoughtful defense strength of Muslim women’s right to pick out how they live. Unlike supposedly liberal leaders inward the EU, similar Emmanuel Macron, who ban the burka inward their countries, Johnson argued that Muslim women should hold upwardly costless to brand their ain minds up.
However, what he refused to produce was pretend to hold upwardly neutral nigh the burka itself. He didn’t utilization clever words to avoid expressing his views, every bit politicians frequently do. He said what he believed, in addition to inward doing so, expressed what many people – including crucially, many Muslim women – believe.
A cursory facial expression at the mesh volition disclose numerous Muslims – Gina Khan, Qanta Ahmed, Sabria Jawhar, Taj Hargey, Suad Farah – who portion his thought nigh the burka in addition to concord that ridiculing it is a legitimate agency of discouraging people from wearing it. They are non indifferent to its effects, but actively desire to trim its use. You bring a right to vesture what you lot similar – in addition to nosotros bring a right to limited disapproval. If this is ‘bullying’, in addition to then what is the consummate prohibition that operates inward many places inward Europe? It is ironic that many of Johnson’s fiercest critics are the same people urging us into an e'er closer union with burka-banning European Union countries.
There are some people directly trying to fighting that you lot should hold upwardly critical of the burka but without using critical language. And that mocking people’s religious choices – no affair how extreme – is tantamount to racism. Did gay rights campaigners tread on eggshells nigh Christian beliefs when they argued for legalising gay marriage? Were feminist politicians inward the Great Britain supersensitive nigh Catholic beliefs during the abortion debate inward Ireland? No, they disagreed powerfully, sometimes offensively, inward a bid to persuade the populace of their views. Mockery of religious practices is non everyone’s selection of tactic, but to human activity similar it is beyond the pale is disingenuous in addition to hypocritical.
Johnson genuinely dislikes the burka, in addition to has felt this agency for every bit long every bit I’ve known him. Not because he is ignorant nigh Islam. Quite the opposite. He knows far to a greater extent than nigh Islam in addition to Islamic cultures than most of the politicians who are directly lining upwardly to laid upwardly on him. He sees that the burka is a recent cultural accretion, which has been championed yesteryear extremists inward many countries around the globe in addition to is actively opposed yesteryear moderate Muslims. That some women inward the West freely pick out to vesture it doesn’t boot the bucket inward whatever to a greater extent than palatable. It remains a symbol of sex inequality (if it wasn’t, why don’t men vesture it too?) in addition to it is intended quite literally to boundary the interaction betwixt Muslim women in addition to other people.
Johnson is the 1 treating Muslims every bit equals, expecting them to hold upwardly purpose of the debate rather than left inward a ghetto. He has bothered to acquire nigh their customs, read their literature in addition to sympathise the internal debates inside their religion. He knows how badly many Muslim women are treated around the globe in addition to made girls’ didactics a priority whilst he was at the FCO. He made the number of FGM inward the Great Britain a priority whilst he was Mayor of London. He met Muslim ‘community leaders’ nevertheless also questioned them if he suspected they did non stand upwardly for the total diverseness of thought alongside Muslims.
Recent polls demonstrate that a bulk of British people desire to follow the illustration of French Republic in addition to Kingdom of Denmark in addition to ban the burka outright. Johnson disagrees in addition to seeks to grip the describe of piece of occupation for liberal values. Those who bring piled on him with wild accusations of Islamophobia in addition to pandering to the difficult right are either confused or disingenuous. By spinning his critique of Islamist fundamentalist do every bit an ‘attack on Muslim women’ they throw moderate Muslims nether the autobus in addition to empower the unrepresentative grievance mongers in addition to extremists who masquerade every bit Muslim community spokesmen. Worst of all, yesteryear enforcing a stiff code of political correctness utterly at odds with populace sentiment they destroy the optic the world of politics in addition to opened upwardly the door to the existent extremists.
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