---

---

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 23172 • Posted: Saturday January 17, 2009  

---

Retail chief says veil ban idea xenophobic

Calls by Queensland retailers to ban religious head coverings in banks and shopping centres have been branded “immature and xenophobic”.

Source: BBC

Australian Retailers Association executive director Richard Evans said the suggestion the Muslim face covering was a security threat was distressing and outrageous.

“What these folks have done in Brisbane is to promote uncertainty and suspicion about everyone who wears a burqa,” Mr Evans said. “It sends the wrong message to the whole community.”

On Thursday the Queensland Retailers Association executive director Scott Driscoll said the Muslim face veil – along with helmets, hoodies, baseball caps and sunglasses – could be used by people of criminal intent to disguise themselves and they should have to be removed as a condition of entry.

His comments followed controversial remarks by a Brisbane radio announcer who said people who wear burqas in public should be fined for offensive behaviour.
[...]

Mr Driscoll now says he recognises that law-abiding Muslim women in traditional head coverings do not pose a security threat.

“Our challenge will be to strike a balance between respecting those law-abiding Muslim women … and guarding against undesirable elements … using the same clothing as a direct means of obscuring their identity in the execution of criminal activity,” he said.

See Also

• London bomb suspect wore burka

---

What You Can Do From Here

---

Read More Articles On These Topics Categories: Islam Tags: buraq, hijab, Islam, muslims, veil Share, Blog About, Bookmark, or Email This Article Subscribe Religion News Blog RSS feed [What is this?] RSS by topic: Islam Read Another Article Previous entry: Operator of Christian non-profit indicted in fraud Next entry: Spain: Parents win fight to remove class crucifix RNB Homepage with latest headlines Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults Find Related Books Islam Most Popular Today I know the dark side of Scientology…I almost lost my friend when she became obsessed with it Church of Scientology told to drop Churchill images

---

Share This Article

---

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:

• Post a link on your blog or website:
  
• Send in an email or IM:
  
• Post on a forum:
  

Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- CounterCultSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.

Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- ApologeticsSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.