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'Britain must ban burqa to beat terrorism'
Saturday, October 16, 2010 06:14:29 PM,
IANS
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London:
Britain must ban the burqa if it wants to win the battle against
Islamic extremism, an ally of French President Nicolas Sarkozy has
said.
Jacques Myard, a senior ally of Sarkozy, said relaxed British
policies "opened the door to terrorism", express.co.uk reported
Saturday.
Britain is "losing the battle against Islamic extremism" by
failing to follow France's ban on the burqa, he said.
Referring to Britain's continued tolerance of the burqa, he added:
"Allowing women to exclude themselves from society by wearing the
full Islamic veil makes radicals extremely comfortable and Britain
should realise this."
Myard made his outspoken comments to British journalists in Qatar
Friday, where he was defending his country's ban on the veil at
the prestigious Qatar Foundation Doha Debates.
But his words will inflame tensions between the British and French
governments as the inquests are held on victims of the 2005 London
7/7 bombings, which the French blamed on lax policing.
Referring to the blasts in which 52 people died and 107 were
injured, Myard said: "Britain has suffered a number of
high-profile failures in its fight against extremism in recent
years. These could have been prevented if all signs of extremism
were curbed, as they are in France."
Asked if Britain should introduce a burqa ban, Myard replied: "Of
course. It is fundamental to ensuring that extremism is kept in
check.
"There's a good reason why London was nicknamed Londonistan - it
was full of Islamic extremists. People should be learning from
these mistakes."
As chairman of the cross-party commission which spent two years
probing burqas and niqabs in France, Myard's recommendations led
to a full ban being passed by the French parliament earlier this
month.
The ruling has led to terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda,
issuing threats against France, but the country has largely
escaped the kind of extremism which has affected Britain over the
past decade.
Myard joked: "The French have been standing up for gender equality
since Joan of Arc fought the English barbarians 600 years ago.
"Women should not have to wear the burqa, which by its very nature
excludes them from France's secular republic."
About 350 million people in 200 countries are expected to watch
the debate when it is broadcast by channels including BBC World
this weekend.
The row over burqas in Britain has gathered momentum since the
French ban.
Tory MP Philip Hollobone, who has tabled a Private Member's Bill
proposing a ban, said: "The majority of people in Britain don't
agree that anybody should be able to cover their face in public
but the politicians are frightened of offending minority groups.
We just don't have the political guts.
"The burqa stops women integrating... It is not a religious
garment and is outlawed in several Islamic countries."
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