Tory MP mocks burqa-wearers in parliament

Wednesday, 03 February 2010 13:19

The burqa continues to attract the most illiberal of attitudes with the Conservative MP for Kettering, Philip Hollobone (pictured), expressing ‘huge sympathy with those who want action taken against people who want to cover themselves up in public’ and likening it to ‘the religious equivalent of going around with a paper bag over your head’.

During a parliamentary debate yesterday, Hollobone spoke on immigration and its effects as ‘overwhelm[ing] our indigenous culture in ways that are frankly unacceptable’.

The comments as recorded in Hansard are as follows:

‘Mr. Hollobone: The problem is the scale of the immigration-the number of people heading our way-and it is going to overwhelm our indigenous culture in ways that are frankly unacceptable.

‘At the crude end of the debate, the problem is reflected in talk about the burqa. I must say that I have huge sympathy with those who want action taken against people who want to cover themselves up in public. How ridiculous would the House of Commons be if we were all to wear burqas? How would Mr. Speaker be able to identify which Member to call next?

‘Mr. Frank Field: The voters might prefer it. [Laughter.]

‘Mr. Hollobone: The voters might well prefer it, but it is the religious equivalent of going around with a paper bag over your head with two holes for the eyes. In my view, it is offensive to want to cut yourself off from face-to-face contact with, or recognition by, other members of the human race. We should certainly look at ways to tackle that issue.’

Hollobone’s remarks stand in contrast to the poll undertaken by The Independent which found that two thirds of Britons were opposed to a ban on the wearing of the burqa in public places. In stating his desire to ‘look at ways to tackle that issue’ and expressing ‘huge sympathy’ for those that want action taken, Hollobone is both endorsing and amplifying the views of an extreme minority, the UK Independence Party.

Hollobone’s drawing a crude equivalence between the burqa and a paper bag also reflects a shocking level of ignorance of religious practice and a marked disrespect for the freedom of worship as exercised by Muslim women.

By singling out Muslim women in this way and ridiculing their religious practice as a threat to indigenous culture, Hollobone exemplifies the problem alluded to in the new report by Jonathan Githens-Mazer and Robert Lambert, that the media and populist politicians are contributing to the fomentation of an environment that feeds anti-Muslim prejudice and hate crime.

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