The British public want to ban Muslim women from wearing the Islamic veil or burqa by an overwhelming margin of more than two-to-one, a poll has found.
Research by YouGov found a huge proportion of the public had no qualms about telling women what to wear, with 57 per cent in favour of a ban and just 25 per cent against.
18-24 year olds were the only age group to oppose a ban; all others were in favour, with the oldest 65+ group backing the prohibition by a startling 78 per cent to 12. All major political parties also had a plurality of voters in favour of a ban.
Ukip leadership candidate Lisa Duffy has called for a ban on the Islamic veil; Nigel Farage issued a similar call on 2010 but the party has spoken little on the issue in recent years.
The polling comes amid controversy over the banning of “burkini” modest swimwear on beaches in a number of French municipalities. A video emerged last week of armed French police forcing a woman to undress after she was spotted wearing the clothing. [The Independent] Read more
British public back a ban on burka by two to one, poll finds
A majority of the British public are in favour of banning the burka in public, a poll has found, while almost half say the burkini should be prohibited.
The findings come as a controversial ban on the burkini in France has stirred debate on the subject of Muslim clothing.
Although the country’s highest administrative court overturned the ban on the Islamic swimsuit on Friday, mayors have vowed to defy the ruling.
The issue has been widely debated in Britain ever since France became the first European country to ban the burqa – the Islamic full-face veil – in 2011.
According to the YouGov survey, 57% of respondents in the UK supported banning the veil in public places, while 25% were against outlawing it. [The Telegraph] Read more
Islam Surveyed 