Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 17-08-2017
An Australian senator provoked an angry backlash from politicians by wearing a face veil in parliament as part of her campaign for a national ban on the Islamic face veil.
Pauline Hanson, an outspoken fan of US President Donald Trump and leader of the anti-Muslim, anti-immigration One Nation party, sat wearing the black head-to-ankle garment on Thursday for more than 10 minutes before taking it off.
Hanson then explained that she wanted such outfits banned on national security grounds.
“There has been a large majority of Australians [who] wish to see the banning of the burka.”
Attorney General George Brandis drew applause when he says his government would not ban the veil, and chastised Hanson for what he described as a “stunt” that offended Australia’s Muslim minority.
“To ridicule that community, to drive it into a corner, to mock its religious garments is an appalling thing to do and I would ask you to reflect on what you have done.”
Greg Barton, a professor of global Islamic politics at Deakin University, told Al Jazeera Hanson’s calls to ban the veil had little public support.
“Pauline Henson has a long track record of demonising Asians, immigrants and indigenous Australians and this is just a cheap shot. Fortunately she doesn’t speak for the majority of Australians.”
0 Comments