KARACHI, Dec 7: The British government has been trying to impose a ban on hijab, naqab or burqa while the Muslim community in the United Kingdom and other such countries is living in perpetual fear in this process of being marginalised and criminalised.
This was stated by the first Muslim Counsel of the Queen, Sibghatullah Kadri, while speaking at the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs here on Thursday on “Hijab, Naqab, Burqa in the West: Is it a leap towards discrimination?”
He said that a large number of innocent Muslims were languishing in British prisons, adding that British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had triggered off a controversy by advising Muslim women not to wear Hijab, Naqab or Burqa.
“There is no harm in wearing Naqab and Burqa in UK. Muslims have no common values and heritage with the West,” he observed.
Mr Kadri, who is also Convener of the Muslim Lawyers Forum, UK, was of the view that the Pakistanis who cherished enlightened moderation and were opposed to terrorism should help their brother Muslims in UK. He spoke of the implications of the 9/11 tragedy on Muslim youth in Europe, and said they wanted to assert their right to live and should not be treated with suspicion.
Referring to ‘Islam phobia’ in Europe and the rest of the western countries, Mr Kadri drew attention to the discriminatory treatment being meted out to Muslims in the world, and claimed that Muslim youth were expressing their anger over anti-Muslim feelings, discrimination and Islam phobia in Europe, as well as atrocities on Muslims in Palestine and Kashmir.
Answering a question, he said a large number of people was converting to Islam in Britain. At present, he added, Muslims comprised 2-3 per cent of the UK population and of them, one million happened to be of Pakistani origin, many of them unemployed.
Chairman of the PIIA Fatehyab Ali Khan also spoke on the occasion.
