Pauline Hanson demands Australia bans the burqa: ‘No woman should be forced to cover her face’
Pauline Hanson has called for Australia to ban women from wearing the burqa after Italy joined several other nations in forbidding the religious covering.
The One Nation leader took to social media on Friday to urge Canberra to follow in the lead of at least 24 countries that have banned the burqa.
‘For years I’ve warned that full face coverings pose a threat to our safety, and strip women of their dignity,’ she wrote.
‘Now Italy has joined more than 20 countries in banning them.
‘So why is Australia still turning a blind eye?
‘Burqas and similar Islamic garments don’t just conceal identities. They’re used to control women, to silence them, and to remind them they’re second-class.
‘That’s not freedom. That’s not who we are.’
Some Muslim women wear a headscarf to cover their head and hair, while others wear a burqa or niqab, which also covers their face.
Senator Pauline Hanson (pictured) has called for a ban of the burqa in Australia
Hanson notoriously wore a burqa in the Senate in 2017 for the debate on banning the covering
The burqa is usually a one-piece veil that covers the face and body and often has a mesh screen for the wearer to see through.
The headscarves are viewed as a sign of modesty and religious faith by those who wear them, but critics disagree.
Hanson claimed banning the burqa is ‘common sense’.
‘No woman should be forced to cover her face. No criminal should get away with hiding behind one,’ she said.
‘One Nation stands for public safety, for women’s rights, and for the values that built this country. And we won’t back down.
‘Violence is rising. Cowards are hiding behind masks. And (Anthony) Albanese is bringing ISIS extremists back home and giving refuge to Hamas supporters. If a government won’t protect its people, it doesn’t deserve to lead.’
Hanson has called for a ban, infamously wearing a burqa when she appeared at Parliamentary Question Time in 2017 for a debate on a potential ban.
‘I’m quite happy to remove this, because this is not what should belong in this Parliament,’ she said at the time.
Australian Federation of Islamic Councils’ Dr Rateb Jneid said Hanson’s statement was a publicity stunt to stoke division in Australia (stock image)
Dr Rateb Jneid, a lawyer in Western Australia and president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, dismissed Hanson’s ban as a ‘publicity stunt’.
‘It’s not a serious policy proposal, and it does not reflect who we are as a country,’ Dr Jneid told Daily Mail.
‘Senator Hanson’s call to ban the burqa is nothing more than a publicity stunt designed to stoke fear and division, and to keep herself and her party politically relevant. True liberation is not telling women what they can’t wear, it’s allowing them to choose for themselves, free from coercion, stigma, or political exploitation.’
Hanson’s tirade was prompted by Italy’s ruling Brothers of Italy party which announced this week that it would introduce a ban on the burqa and niqab – a veil that leaves the eyes visible – in all public spaces.
