Wearing a burka does not prevent Muslim women ‘engaging in everyday life’ in Britain, the Conservative Party chairman Sayeeda Warsi claimed yesterday.
Lady Warsi, the first Muslim woman to serve in the Cabinet, defended the right of women to choose to wear the burka in comments that will reignite the row about the full face veil.
Critics claim the burka alienates Muslim women from the rest of society. But Lady Warsi said it did not act as a barrier in itself.
She added: ‘There are women who wear the burka who run extremely successful businesses — internet businesses, which don’t actually require you to be there face to face.’
Lady Warsi’s intervention is the latest bid by the coalition Government to close down debate about the burka.
We think Warsi is naive at best. Many Muslim women are compelled into wearing the burka, and that type of dress does create a barrier to normal face-to-face interaction.
Quite aside from that, most civilized countries have security laws that forbid people from wearing a full disguise in public.