Boris and the burqa: his latest offence

boris and the burqa

His latest offence

Usually when a politician resigns, they slink off to the sidelines... not Boris Johnson though.

Never one to shy away from controversy, UK politician Boris Johnson's comments in his newspaper column, in public speeches, in interviews and during his time as Foreign Secretary have offended people the world over, from world leaders, to people of colour and those from the LGBT community. Now, he's outraged the public again with his latest comments about women who wear burqas. 

'If you tell me that the burqa is oppressive, then I am with you. If you say that it is weird and bullying to expect women to cover their faces, then I totally agree—and I would add that I can find no scriptural authority for the practice in the Qu’ran. I would go further and say that it is absolutely ridiculous that people should choose to go around looking like letter boxes.'

Right off the bat, it’s important to note Johnson has highlighted the common confusion about what the burqa actually is: what he’s describing as a ‘letter box’ is, in fact, the niqab. The niqab veils the face with the eyes visible, while the burqa is a full body covering with a mesh screen over the eyes. The hijab covers the head and neck, leaving the face visible.

Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash

While the fashion seems to leave him confused, he is right that the Qu’ran does not specify the need to wear a burqa; Islam’s holy book tells Muslims to dress modestly. For men, this is interpreted to be covering the navel to the knee, and for women, it is generally interpreted as covering everything except the face, hands and feet in the presence of men they are not married or related to. This is the crux of the argument: the ‘interpretation’ of the Qu’ran. Muslim scholars debate the obligation to wear the burqa or the niqab, with liberal interpretations saying any head covering is unnecessary if women maintain dressing modestly. Other instructions in the Qu’ran tell women to ‘draw their cloaks close around them’—is this literal or metaphorical? Either way, it’s much debated.  

Boris Johnson is actually raising a feminist issue: is the burqa oppressive? He’s just going about it in completely the wrong way. A source close to Johnson said, ‘If we fail to speak up for liberal values, then we are simply yielding ground to reactionaries and extremists.’ Johnson does not support a full ban on covering the face in public places and for all the right reasons: a total ban could give boost to radicals who claim there is a ‘clash of civilisations’. He’s also on point saying a ban would ‘tell a free-born adult woman what she may or may not wear, in a public place, when she is simply minding her own business.’

Whether the burqa is oppressive is an interesting conundrum that seems to rely on geography. In the West, Muslim women sometimes interpret veiling as resistance to the inferiority and otherness of Islam and to the West’s sexualisation and objectification of women. The Western feminist objection to the burqa is not a lack of tolerance for diversity but that the burqa is seen as a symbol of patriarchal repression of female sexuality. But Western feminist critics of the burqa do not adequately object to the sexualisation of the female body in the West—how often do we debate the oppressiveness of the mini skirt or the crop top? Religion and tradition can undoubtedly have a negative impact on women’s rights around the world and women’s oppression is universal. But tackling this should not require telling Muslim women how to dress—rather we should be opposing discrimination, islamophobia and intolerance.

Photo by Harits Mustya Pratama on Unsplash

Johnson is right: the UK should not impose a ban on the wearing of the burqa in public life. This would be as much a violation of their rights as forcing the veil on women who do not wish to wear it. Having a state decide how a woman should dress hardly protects that woman; rather it further undermines their right and ability to lead their lives. If a woman has made a free and informed choice to wear a veil, it is society’s responsibility to value that and allow her the space to practice her religion in public. 

Johnson’s remarks will not lead to his being charged with a criminal offence. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has said his comments do not constitute hate speech but the Conservative party is debating taking action, with Prime Minister Theresa May urging Johnson to apologise. Johnson was attempting to, as Ms Dick says, ‘engage in a legitimate debate’, but it’s clear his comments were indeed offensive.

The problem with having a politician be openly Islamophobic in this manner, saying women who wear the niqab look ‘like letter boxes’, is it just makes it easier for casual Islamophobia to be exacerbated and allows for its justification. Boris Johnson is a public figure. He needs to take responsibility for the consequences of his actions and words—and learn to quit while he’s ahead.