The British want to ban the burqa, poll reveals

Poll comes in wake of the burkini controversy

The British public want to ban Muslim women from wearing the burqa by an overwhelming margin of more than two-to-one, a poll has found.



Research by YouGov, an international internet-based market research firm, found a huge proportion of the British public against the burqa, with 57 per cent in favour of a ban and just 25 per cent against. Those opposing the ban were mostly from the group aged 18-24, while the 65+ group backed the prohibition by a startling 78 per cent.  All major political parties were also found to favour the ban. Ukip leadership candidate Lisa Duffy has already called for a ban on the Islamic veil; while Nigel Farage issued a similar call in 2010 but the party has spoken little on the issue in recent years.



A separate question asked by YouGov found that 46 per cent of people also wanted to ban the burkini, while just 30 per cent opposed such a measure. The polls were carried out after the recent controversy regarding the French ban on burkinis, which has been declared illegal by the country’s top administrative court. Several European countries have introduced legislation to ban or restrict things associated with Islam.

In 2009, the Swiss public voted in a referendum to ban the construction of Islamic mosques with minarets. France also banned full face coverings in 2010 and separately banned headscarves that do not cover a person’s face in public schools.



Other countries such as Belgium, and parts of Switzerland, Russia and Bulgaria and have also banned clothing worn by some Muslim women. There have been numerous cases of Muslim women being discriminated against the world over in this regard.

This article originally appeared on The Independent.