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Radio 4's Any Questions at Burnley raises burka issue

3:21pm Saturday 13th February 2010 in


THERE were heated exchanges about the wearing of the Muslim burka when a national radio show was recorded in Burnley.

BBC Radio Four’s Any Questions has an audience of around one million.

On the debating panel were Kelvin MacKenzie, the outspoken former editor of The Sun newspaper, North West UKIP Euro MP Paul Nuttall, former Arts Council chairman Professor Sir Christopher Frayling, and Baroness Haleh Afshar, a cross-bench peer.

Some of the most angry exchanges came when the subject of the Muslim burka was raised by an audience member.

Mr Nuttall defended his party’s controversial policy to ban the full veil in public places, claiming the measure was needed for national security.

Baroness Afshar said the debate should also focus on other religious clothing, like a nun’s habit, and added: “If we are in a free country, people should have the choice.”

Mr MacKenzie claimed the wearing of the full burka would die out in this country.

The question arose after a British Airways worker lost her legal battle to be allowed to wear a Christian cross at work.

Sir Christopher said: “If someone wants to wear the badge of their faith, why shouldn’t they? It’s not harming anyone.”

Earlier Mr MacKenzie had provoked angry shouts from the audience when he claimed elderly people should not expect state help when they grow old, claiming even people in poverty “had family” to look after them.

The Rev Andrew Froud, of St Mary Magdalene’s Church, Clitheroe, had asked a question about the current debate between the main political parties over adult social care.

Mr Nuttall accused the Conservatives of “playing politics” by running a poster campaign about Labour plans for a £20,000 “death tax”.

The half-hour debate, recorded at the Thomas Witham Sixth Form Centre, Barden Lane, was hosted by Shaun Ley, of Radio Four’s The World At One, a last-minute stand-in for Eddie Mair, who was ill.

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Comments(21)

xrjxmon says...
4:07pm Sat 13 Feb 10

Is Baroness Afshar a crossbencher or just cross eyed.
How can she possible compare a nuns cowl to the virtual COMPLETE cover of a burka? You can always see a nun's face and look into her eyes.
Tell her to check at Blackburn Morrisons where recently a full burka was used as a cover for pickpocketing.
Try telling me that anyone driving in such clothing is SAFE and has all-round vision.

It's just religious extremism. If only our government had the guts of one or two others. This divisive sack is a complete nonsense.

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Burnley student says...
5:11pm Sat 13 Feb 10

Was a fantastic debate!
well done to Burnley campus for getting the program.

You can get the program here:
http://bit.ly/Burnle
yAnyQuestions

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burner says...
5:19pm Sat 13 Feb 10

Spot on, xrjxmon, especially about safety. And it IS extremism. Do we all like the BNP? do we all like Stalinists? do we all like bullfighting? Do we all like dog-fighting? Do we all like . . . ( insert your own pet hate! ) . . all various forms of extremism. Many people are quick and free to air their views on that, so why not this, without fear of being called a racist bigot?

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andy1 says...
5:44pm Sat 13 Feb 10

Im not racist nor anti-muslim I belive that the burka is some form of chastice dress for women of the Islamic faith. I had a conversation with 2 good freinds mine (One who is Muslim and one who was once married to a Moroccan Muslim) who assured myself that there is no mention of this form of dress in the Quaran. I have flown into Manchester Airport and seen Women going through customs wearing these surely this is wrong and should be stopped.

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ponto52 says...
8:17pm Sat 13 Feb 10

all this wearing burkas as only come about in the last few years.if i had too drive around with a paper bag
over my head with slit in it so i could see where i was going the boys in blue would soon pull me over.but hang on a minute im white.

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IanHuddy says...
3:00am Sun 14 Feb 10

Is East Lancashire full of sad, narrow minded xenephobes such as yourself?

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golazzo says...
9:05am Sun 14 Feb 10

Ban the burkha, this is England

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Mikeee47 says...
1:32pm Sun 14 Feb 10

Nuns? i for one are having nun of it. at least the nuns stay in the confines of the convent/ schools, apart from the odd venture into town, how many nuns do you see trying to get through customs at manchester airport? Now how many islamics wearing Burkas, hanging arround towns, airports, shopping centres etc. Ponitless agument there, You want to live in the western world & society where you can have rights & Freedom. then fit in with the western world.

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PwBburn says...
1:52pm Sun 14 Feb 10

IanHuddy wrote:
Is East Lancashire full of sad, narrow minded xenephobes such as yourself?
Hi Ian, you are listening to a middle aged man who has lived in Blackburn most of his life and is not narrow minded in any way, my debate/opinion has always been we have Italians/Chinese/Pol
ish people living in my area and they have never tried to force there religion/ways on me in any way what so ever, they just get on with there lives and when in "Rome" do what the "Romans" do. Growing up I have seen gettos grow in my town and seen "White Flight" happening on more than one occasion, I have read outrages by Muslim head priests when there is a Muslim arrest of a suspected terrorist and nothing said when they are found guilty and yes this is happening in my little old Blackburn, terrorists are coming from my town trying to blow British people up on Buses,Trains and Planes. Following all this a Christian women cannot now wear a cross yet a muslim women can wear a Burka, is it any wonder the working class people around East Lancashire are starting to express there views (I admit some go to far), the only way to help everyone in my town is debate, but this has been very cleverly taken away from us the PC brigade in the form of Race Relations, and we the ordinary Brit is lazy when it comes to getting of our backsides and saying enough is enough but this is now starting to happen, as we see ourselves being given nothing but slowly but surely seeing our rights are being taken away. Sorry my rantings are not that of a xenephobic but just a lad from Blackburn.

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Burnley student says...
3:32pm Sun 14 Feb 10

I go to a extremely diverse sixth form but never have any religion 'forced' on me, I think it's a shame you guys seem to have such a closed view of the Asian heritage population and culture.

We desperately defend 'Britain' yet you are happy driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, then, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab. Then heading to our Polish built homes to sit on a Swedish sofa and watch American TV shows on a Japanese TV.
Welcome to modern Britain :)

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Inter-Rossiter says...
4:46pm Sun 14 Feb 10

Only boring teeds with no argument would repeat that cr@p.

.

It was poor the first time I heard it and that was years ago.

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Burnley student says...
4:53pm Sun 14 Feb 10

Inter-Rossiter wrote:
Only boring teeds with no argument would repeat that cr@p.

.

It was poor the first time I heard it and that was years ago.
I wasn't insinuating I made it up, but it reinforces the image that Britain is the multicultural country. We need to accept other beliefs rather than crush them, however I agree that no religion should force people to embrace them.

Back to the school debate, I can't see the difference between this school and the many catholic schools up and down the country.
Why one stance for them and not for others?

Surely if we have an issue with one faith school you ought to have an issue with all of them?

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RAyzer says...
4:58pm Sun 14 Feb 10

modern britain my student freinds is were we can speak freely without fear of repercusions...stop playing the race card youve worn it out!!!ban the burka in public for COMMON SENSE sake!!!

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Burnley student says...
5:05pm Sun 14 Feb 10

I totally agree Rayzer, Modern Britain is built around liberty and freedom, so how could the banning of the Burhka fit into that?

I'm afraid I've been brought up to be accepting of other races and religions which is why I'm always disappointed to see a lack of understanding.

However your reputation seems to have beat me to a response.

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burner says...
6:10pm Sun 14 Feb 10

It's simple. Some want to ban the wearing of the Cross but will allow a man to wear a Burka (how do you know it's NOT a man ?? - there is recorded evidence of this happening ). I do not feel uneasy sitting next to someone wearing a cross on the underground, but I DO feel uneasy about anyone wearing a Burka. Doesn't seem right or fair but I know how I feel.

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bankhall says...
10:31pm Sun 14 Feb 10

pointless programme full of invited suits with their own interests and the questions are all decided before waste of space

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weasals says...
6:29am Mon 15 Feb 10

A thought for all those who have never tried wearing a burka with just the mesh front for you to look through. Ifyou have not then try it in the next week or so and then in the middle of your summer ( such as it is for experiencing hot weather). Find out just how abominable this imposition on women is. There is no side vision and very little front vision through the mesh. Then think about wearing it in a hot country for a few hours whenever you leave the house.

The burka is an appalling item of attire forced onto women. It should be banned if only for the health and welfare on the poor unfortunates who now have to wear it. It is not as though they can decide not to do so.

Then, look at the statistics for Vitamin D deficiency amongst burka wearers and see the health effects suffered by these women. So what sort of man would force the women of his household to wear such a garment? I often wonder.

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akon says...
3:12pm Mon 15 Feb 10

bankhall, burnley

Spot on !!
A pointless, needless set up.

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DaveBurnley says...
8:07pm Mon 15 Feb 10

Not bad LT, you've just pulled 2 of my posts plus another which lined to mine. I wonder what pretence you will invent for pulling this post?

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jghazanfar says...
8:50pm Mon 15 Feb 10

Non of this about the burka, its about hate–Every part of the muslim life is under attack. A lot of proud Englishman claim to be very tolerant, my understanding is that claiming to be tolerant and actually being tolerant are 2 different things I call on all the so called “debaters” to find me one woman who says she is forced to wear the burka, show me one woman who wears a burka and would like to stop wearing it. The women see it as a sign of covering their dignity, now that is a word that has disappeared from our society. Women in mini skirts or in **** movies see it as their independence- on the other side of the coin ,,women wearing the burka see it as independence FROM PERVERTS. When was the last time a women wearing a burka committed a terrorist act ? If you want to ban something ban war and hate. Over a million muslims have now died in these wars. I have read the bible many times and understand it well, but yet I hesitate to quote from it, but people who have never touched a book IN THEIR LIFE say that there is nothing in the Koran about burka. This country offers free and great education, education teaches respect and dignity and a better brighter future, what I see is breakdown of society, hate and illiteracy. Two women walking down the street , one wearing a burka and one wearing a mini skirt, someone who is out to rape , who is he most likely to attack ?

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Sgt.banjo says...
11:35pm Mon 15 Feb 10

"Two women walking down the street , one wearing a burka and one wearing a mini skirt, someone who is out to rape , who is he most likely to attack ?"

This is a silly argument. What if one was wearing jeans and the other a sari? What if, one was wearing a pair of pants, top and a headscarf and the other wearing a skirt, top and hat?

I assume that the likelihood of one or the other getting raped is dependent on many factors.

The crux of the matter is that the burka or hijab or whatever name it is given, is alien to the MAJORITY of the people in England. There is no GOOD reason to disguise ones face in public.

In my opinion, the wearing of said garment actually attracts attention to the wearer instead of deflecting it, which I beleive is the reason for it's existence!

Security words 'rare-show'!

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