Australian leader wears burqa to Senate to push for ban, draws criticism from lawmakers
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Australian senator and leader of the right-wing One Nation party, Pauline Hanson, wore the burqa to the Senate chamber for the daily questioning time session on Thursday, The Guardian reported.
According to the daily, Hanson's move — meant to push for a ban on the burqa — caused commotion in the chamber and drew strong criticism from Australian attorney general George Brandis who issued a warning that the action may be offensive to the "religious sensibilities of other Australians".
“Senator Hanson, I’m not going to pretend to ignore the stunt that you have tried to pull today by arriving in the chamber dressed in a burqa when we all know you are not an adherent of the Islamic faith," said Brandis in a video shared on The Guardian.
“To ridicule that community, to drive it into a corner, to mock its religious garments, is an appalling thing to do, and I would ask you to reflect on your behaviour.”
“We have about half a million Australians in this country of the Islamic faith, and the vast majority of them are law abiding, good Australians, and Senator Hanson, it [burqa] is absolutely consistent with being a good law abiding Australian and a strict, adherent, Muslim," Brandis was quoted as saying.
The attorney general made clear to the right-wing leader that there is no intention of banning the burqa as his remarks drew applause from those present in the chamber.
According to The Guardian, during the questioning time, Hanson asked the attorney general if the government would work to ban the burqa "in light of [the country's] national security".
She pointed out that there have been 13 foiled terror attacks in Australia and three in which lives have been lost.
"Terrorism is a true threat to our country," added Hanson, saying that she was speaking on "behalf of the Australian people".
Hanson was called a "threat to national security" and a "disgrace" by Senator Sam Dastyari who, according the The Guardian, is a non-practicing Muslim of Iranian heritage.
Hanson left the Senate chamber after posing her question to the attorney general.
Last year, amid deteriorating race relations and an escalating fear of violence, Hanson's One Nation party called for a ban on Muslim immigration.
In 2015, she defended the "Reclaim Australia" rallies which called for a ban on the burqa and were criticised by rival protesters as anti-Muslim.
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Comments (38) Closed
Aug 17, 2017 12:25pm
Extremism is a diverse phenomenon and has a variety of forms. This fellow represent one of the extreme.
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Aug 17, 2017 12:30pm
Their country their rules.
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Aug 17, 2017 12:38pm
In today's environment Burqa surely posses a security risk. It is impossible to determine from outside as to who is inside, a male, a female or someone from the third gender. Additionally, it would be impossible to make out if someone is hiding a weapon or a suicide belt from outside. I for sure cannot interpret from the picture if it is indeed that of Pauline Hanson or someone else. Any dress code burqa or otherwise whether it is that of a male or a female if it posses a security risk should be banned in public places.
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Aug 17, 2017 12:42pm
In Pakistan we have laws which forbid communities from performing their religious rights. Australians have the right to do whatever they want in their country.
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Aug 17, 2017 12:45pm
@Padmakar There is no such rule that bans burqas in Australia. Your comment is irrelevant.
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Aug 17, 2017 12:48pm
@Padmakar Did you read the full article? It clearly states:
"The attorney general made clear to the right-wing leader that there is no intention of banning the burqa as his remarks drew applause from those present in the chamber."
So wearing a burqa does not conflict with Australian laws.
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Aug 17, 2017 12:52pm
@Padmakar And their rules as per by their Attorney General are that Burqa is not banned. So please stop being blind by these fascist ideas.
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Aug 17, 2017 12:55pm
Appreciate the excellent way to express feeling of majority non-Muslim Australians.
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Aug 17, 2017 01:04pm
@M Taimur for example which law forbid any of religious minorities to practice their customer and rituals?
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Aug 17, 2017 01:10pm
@M Taimur And What laws are those?
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Aug 17, 2017 01:13pm
Bad Idea ...,,Australia was home to population of indigenous peoples speaking over 200 languages for over 50,000 years before the Britis invaded led Captain James Cook A process of colonisation that marginalized or wiped out many indigenous communities the Brits claimed that they discovered an unclaimed and empty land
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Aug 17, 2017 01:39pm
If you can't live without a burqa, please live in countries where it is acceptable. By the way Burqa has nothing to do with Islam.
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Aug 17, 2017 01:44pm
Islam also says follow land of the law. Its not necessary you should wear burqa in that shape. Main thing is to cover the body and face so there are 100 other ways.
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Aug 17, 2017 01:45pm
Just wondering if its acceptable for countries like Saudi and Iran to force abbayas on visiting women then why isnt it ok for others to ban it?
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Aug 17, 2017 02:06pm
As long as it is not legally banned, no one should question an attire which is a part of muslim culture. The attorney general must be appreciated for his stand on this issue. Anyone who is keen to get it banned for security reasons should put forward a strong case based on logical and real examples. Just perceived threats won't do. One might get scared by a long beard tomorrow and you can not go out attempting to ban it. I am a Hindu but I think we should all welcome this stand my Mr. Attorney general.
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Aug 17, 2017 02:15pm
Burkini's, Burkha, hijab are worn by such a small number of people to be next to irrelevant. These tactics divert people attention away from more important issues. If any of these countries banned any of the above it would make next to zero difference to absolutely anything.
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Aug 17, 2017 02:17pm
Thank you Mr. Attorney General!
One has to have a big heart to accomodate other's views and beliefs. Let Ms. Hanson has her views and we will have ours. No one has the right to impose his/her views on others. Ms. Hanson may be Australian by birth but ones she criticises are by choice!
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Aug 17, 2017 02:26pm
@OBOR
As long as it is not legally banned, no one should question an attire which is a part of muslim culture. The attorney general must be appreciated for his stand on this issue. "
Where it is legal ,come to streets and challenge it in most uncivilized manner.
Is it?
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Aug 17, 2017 02:31pm
Burqa can be restricted where SECURITY demands have to be met.. but elsewhere.. it should not be on other extreme of SAudi Arabia..
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Aug 17, 2017 03:03pm
@Nadeem An ordinance issued in 1984 prohibits a minority group from performing their rituals and customs. They can even be trialed for reciting their religious phrases in arabic or printing their religious phrases in arabic on their wedding card or on house wall.That particular group was declared a minority by a constitutional amendment in 1970s
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Aug 17, 2017 03:27pm
In August 2003, a jury in the District Court of Queensland convicted Hanson and David Ettridge of electoral fraud. She was sentenced to three years imprisonment for falsely claiming that 500 members of the Pauline Hanson Support Movement were members of the political organisation Pauline Hanson's One Nation in order to register that organisation in Queensland as a political party and apply for electoral funding. Because the registration was found to be unlawful, Hanson's receipt of electoral funding worth $498,637 resulted in two further convictions for dishonestly obtaining property, each with three-year sentences, to run concurrently with the first
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Aug 17, 2017 03:30pm
@Anonymous: How can you "see", or in any way sense the presence of a weapon or suicide belt under a raincoat! In today's world, it is absolutely easy to be a woman and appear like a man, or vice versa... I can't see where is the veil a security threat in all of this, unless the rain coat, an over-sized dress coat, a long skirt too, is?
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Aug 17, 2017 03:34pm
It is not appropriate for Muslim women to hide themselves behind Burqa in Western countries where men grow up seeing plenty of women wearing tighter and shorter clothing. Burqa is suitable to wear in Eastern countries because men are not used to see women everyday. This issue got nothing to do with religion, it is more of a psychological problem which needs counseling.
In any case Australia didn't go to Muslim women, it is Muslim women who went to Australia so they must integrate in the society at least by avoiding such a black out.
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Aug 17, 2017 03:42pm
Wearing burqa is a totally personal, traditional and faith related choice. Given the security concerns in today's world full face covering may be a point of concern. I think the matter of full face covering need more debate and discussions rater than disregarding the individual choices.
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Aug 17, 2017 03:45pm
Welcome to the most powerful and influential global club of at least 600 million brave, enlightened and gallant Muslim women and teenager girls.
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Aug 17, 2017 04:09pm
@Ordinary_citizen "So wearing a burqa does not conflict with Australian laws"
Yet. Let them get some tragic attacks or suicide bombings in city centers and we will see how quickly laws change all over Australia by courts or by democratic referendums.
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Aug 17, 2017 04:11pm
@Padmakar Funny those who say that are the first who criticism muslim countries on their law
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Aug 17, 2017 04:25pm
@Padmakar - Australia belongs to the Aborigines. It's a stolen land.
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Aug 17, 2017 04:28pm
I agree, muslims should leave those countries where they are persecuted.
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Aug 17, 2017 04:42pm
@Spinoza mini skirts and jeans has nothing to do with Christianity or Judaism either, its people choice what they prefer to wear or eat, since when goverments specially western democracies started choosing what people specially females might wear or not wear.
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Aug 17, 2017 04:51pm
@Uqba
their country their rules is right
they are moving towards making this rule
which is highly needed
the garment objectifies women and is a security risk
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Aug 17, 2017 04:52pm
@Uqba
as a woman i can feel attraction for men too
why not have EVERYONE wear burkhas to avoid this hassle of temptation
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Aug 17, 2017 04:56pm
This is how a burqa look to the outside world!
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Aug 17, 2017 04:58pm
@OTM
you can't even see a face in burqa
no comparison to raincoat or large dress
you can identify person in raincoat - not one in burqa
to some extent you can read person's expressions and eyes - not in burqa
what a comparison
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Aug 17, 2017 05:39pm
My friend's wife was fined for wearing cargo shorts on her ship which was docked at some middle East country. She was not even on land . She was on her ship where her husband was ship captain. She was just on ship sipping coffee. The religious police wanted her arrested. Compartively Burqa is a security risk. Anyway it's their country their laws. If you don't like it please migrate to acountry where is is legally neccasry to wear Burqa.
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Aug 17, 2017 05:59pm
She looks beautiful in Burqa!
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Aug 17, 2017 08:02pm
@random
yes this is how it looks
ridiculous and backward
lack of free movement and lack of fresh air for women who are equal in every way to men
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Aug 18, 2017 06:52am
@OTM You have valid argument. A person can be easily identified by body language and facial expression if a particular person may be threat to security. Those in security business are aware of this. But this can not be a reason to hurt religious sentiments of a community.
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