Boris Johnson's Latest 'Gaff'

It does not matter who the perpetrator was! It was a humiliating and racially motivated attack. It is an attack to be unnecessarily humiliated in public. Same as disabled folk in wheelchairs being made to leave buses, Loss of humanity and decency.

PECS The young woman on the bus with the tiny baby wasn't attacked at all. As I reported on GN yesterday, she was asked, by the bus driver, to remove her niqab because he felt that the "world is a dangerous place and we have to see faces". He has been disciplined by the bus company. As a by-the-by, had you noticed that the bus driver is, himself, not English?

I'm not ashamed of being British - I am proud that we are a tolerant country - we haven't banned face covering as many other countries have done.
The niqab and burka are not appropriate dress in our society for all sorts of reasons - as others have stated - but I don't think an outright ban is the answer.
I agree with Boris - they look ridiculous - and as a society that believes in freedom of speech we should be allowed to voice that opinion.

Dyffryn many of us have been pointing out that Johnson made his carefully crafted remarks about women wearing certain clothes as a deliberate attempt to whip up a bit of Islamaphobia. I see today a young woman with a tiny baby was attacked and humiliated on a bus. It will be a direct result of some bigoted racist feeling empowered by Johnson's words. I am not ashamed of being Brtish just sad so many people in Britain have forgotten why the allies fought WW2..think it was because a funny looking man started on about a religious minority and blamed them for all society ills ..it was all bollocks but people allowed themselves to be sucked in and as a result millions died.

Oh, I'm sure there must be others..

The lack of tolerance some people have for other cultures is gobsmacking. Boris Johnson knew exactly what he was doing when he made the comments he did. I am the only one at the moment who is ashamed of being British.

I Luckygirl. Its totally unacceptable. Many women in these cultures have much less freedom too than men. I find it shocking. I think it will be a long hard struggle to change how women think. However we need laws to support them.

I don't think it is "blatant intolerence" to be concerned about fellow women in our society who are being subjected to medieval practices that demand they should hide their faces.

Sexism?

Double standards.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6050159/Motorbike-instructor-accused-Shell-garage-racism-told-remove-helmet.html

Double standards or racism ?

How would you account for all the women out and about in the streets in Muslim countries eg Bangladesh? Those not allowed out would be as much members of small fundamentalist sects as they are here.
I had a lovely time photographing a beautiful group of young girls out in a cafe in Dhaka. With their colourful saris and gorgeous flowing black hair and eyelashes they were like a flock of glamorous birds. They photographed me too obviously as a terrible warning of what not to look like! Seriously, they were very down on what they referred to as 'those women who cover up'.

starbox I would guess that many are no longer allowed out. which is the only reason I would hesitate to ban it.

I wonder how burqa wearing muslims in lands where it's banned cope? Do they have to stay indoors (as I would if we had enforced nudism!) or do they learn to go out in just a scarf? And once used to it, do they relish the new-found freedom?

You can do what you like in this life. In Boris's case he can say what he likes but must take the flak.
In the case of women who wear burkas and niqabs they can wear them but be aware that they are alienating to other people living here in the UK and against Islamic laws and national laws in other countries including Islamic countries. Their choice.

But isn't it ironic to have rich, white men such as Boris telling Muslim women how to dress?
But he didn't!
He said this should not be banned in this country as it has been in Denmark.

Save your feelings of irony for Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Bulgaria, Switzerland, parts of Italy, Barcelona, Quebec and certain African countries.

I hate all this blatant intolerence that is creeping into our society often promoted by extremists within our media, who are successfully brainwashing us with their perverted propaganda.

The equalities watchdog has now branded Boris Johnson’s comments on the burqa “inflammatory and divisive”.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission said it had received complaints from members of the public about Johnson’s controversial article in the Daily Telegraph. The body’s chief executive, said: “Boris Johnson’s use of language in this instance, is inflammatory and divisive. Political figures should lead by example, conducting debates in a responsible manner, and language such as this can inhibit legitimate dialogue.”

Boris has his own agenda and as he is rather astute, he knows he is adding to the intolerance facing our Nation, I detest his purpose and reasons for making such hurtful comments for so many members of our open society.

Being so liberal and allowing it to ( possibly) proliferate may be doing a disservice to women from other cultures living here, allowing, with a nod and a wink, men who run those households to stop women from doing anything outside the house other than shopping.

But isn't it ironic to have rich, white men such as Boris telling Muslim women how to dress? The argument that it is "is their interests" seems very paternalistic and patronising.

Back in the early 70s our friends travelled from New Zealand to the UK across Asia. They told us they had seen women in burkas walking a few paces behind their menfolk in one country-I think Afghanistan. They said it was like being in medieval times, we had never seen a woman in a burka. We all felt sorry for these women, how times change.

I agree with Juggernaut, one rule for some but not others.
Bluebell you can't go through life afraid to say or challenge others incase it might upset them, sometime you have to say it how it is.

Being so liberal and allowing it to ( possibly) proliferate may be doing a disservice to women from other cultures living here, allowing, with a nod and a wink, men who run those households to stop women from doing anything outside the house other than shopping.

Circumcision is child abuse, male or female. I am sad that our government still allows this. This was the sort of thing I was talking about upthread when I said that the trend of falling over backwards to avoid giving religious offence is a matter for concern.

Chewbacca - there is a theme within many religions that sees woman as temptress (Eve being a prime example); and I too deprecate the fact that this implies that men have no control over their desires.

For the sake of the women themselves and realising their ambitions and full potential, it could be the best option to do as many European countries are doing and banning this costume?

Absolutely! icanhand ??

Traditionally males and females in certain cultures/religions are circumcised. Does the fact that it is traditional automatically make it right? I'm not sure that tradition is necessarily the most compelling argument.