Hidden faces

Airwave!

How would you respond to a police officer asking you to remove your hat or asking you for identity so she can identify you when she has a full body burka on?

Discuss.

Slosh

First of all you should of course show the same respect as you would to any other Police officer and comply with the request.

Now...
This story has only been reported in the usual suspects, The Mail/Telegraph.

Leader of Muslim community groups have said it is not appropriate for Police officers to wear the Burqa

The VERY small number of Muslim women who cover their faces and wear the burqa would not be likely to want to join the British Police.

Lets get the language correct ( I think this is the root of this).

The burqa is the long black robe worn over clothes, it does not cover the face.

The niqab is the face covering, and again not all Muslim women who wear the burqa also cover their faces.

The hijab is the head scarf worn by many,but again not all, Muslim women.
This is already part of the uniform in the Metropolitan police to be worn if wished by Muslim female officers.

There is a lot of misunderstanding and misreporting of this and I think that this mis-use of terms is probably at the root, and that the Police commissioner who made this comment may well have made this error, I don't know.

I just hope this doesn't become the UK equivalent of the French Burkini row.

By the way I'm not Muslim myself but I live and work in areas with a large Muslim community and have close friends and good neighbours who are.

barbara12

We have a Muslim neighbour married to a white man..and we got both sides of the story's..I wouldn't like a police officer approach me in a burka , but cant honestly see it ever happening..I do think we should all mix with Muslims more and understand there culture..did anyone see Nardia from the bake off last week, she was in India and went to the place her mum and dad live....that lady is so lovely and the way she explained it all was very light hearted and very interesting..

Airwave!

If muslims decide they can't join the police for religeous differences then so be it, if they live here they should expect to integrate in ways they perhaps don't first think of. Apart from anything else its not exactly practical, would have to be made of hardwearing, fireproof cloth and a wide belt with firearms +spare magazines, truncheon, pepper spray, handcuffs, taser et al on the outside. Its a hot summer day and a muslim police officer won't wear shirtsleeve order but then needs to run 500 yards after a suspect, hhhmmmmmm could she still be efficient?

What would they feel about being cooped up in a riot bus with a number of other officers for 15 hours a day, a few weeks at a time?

If a Chief Constable changes what we accept in GB then it is just a sop to religeon.

If muslim women joined their local force and patroled the cities, towns and streets in the same manner as other officers, that would impress me.

Are we going to have camoflaged burkas in the army next?

stickywicket

Slosh wrote:

This story has only been reported in the usual suspects, The Mail/Telegraph.

Leader of Muslim community groups have said it is not appropriate for Police officers to wear the Burqa

Plus, of course, the Mirror, best known for its phone hacking practices.

I strongly suspect a non-story which is simply an attempt to stir people's prejudices. Why bother checking the facts when the non-facts will attract more readers?

Slosh

Exactly Sticky, a non-story and one which panders to prejudice and intolerance.

Nadia went to Bangladesh not India, as a general rule as a result of partition Hindus mainly come from India and Asian Muslims from Pakistan or Bangladesh. In the main they tend not to wear the Burqa/Niqab, this is more prevalent in Muslim women from African counties or Saudi Arabia.

I don't know if there are Muslim women in the army, there are male Muslim soldiers and both male and female Muslim police officers in the Met at least, but not enough.

As for mixing, what about Brits who retire to places like Spain (or to a lesser extent France), and live indevelopments or areas where other Brits live, tend not to mix and don't learn Spanish or fit in with local customs? They have the same mindset as the minority of Muslims (often the older generation ) when it comes to integrating. Perhaps with BREXIT there will be the same requirement for them to learn the local language.

Airwave!

Please don't dimiss our concerns just because you don't agree with them, Britain has taken a a thousand years to evolve into our form of society and most of the immigrants see something in which they want to be a part of and to be a part of GB they must integrate not change to their own preferences, that is not integration.

I am 61 years old and involve myself with a number of sports and activities none of which are entertained by immigrants of how ever many generations, what I do is of interest to many in our country but not immigrants, should I be the one who has to change?

I have spent my working life in the public services and dealt with all races, creeds and colours without predudice but if someone comes to my country and expects me to change then they may need to think again.

If my fellow countrymen emigrate then they must integrate into their chosen country, no excuses. You can't pick and choose the good bits and abstain from the bits that don't suit you , make your mind up before you move.