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Call to ban council staff from wearing the burka
A GROUP of councillors are proposing that staff at Calderdale Council be banned from wearing the burka and niqab.
Coun Allen Clegg has demanded staff be stopped from wearing the religious Muslim dress because "it intimidates people."
He likened the niqab – the face veil – and the burka, the garment that cloaks the entire body, often including the face, to outfits worn by the Ku Klux Klan.
He told the Courier: "Council workers are often facing the public and I don't think the public feels comfortable or safe facing someone they essentially cannot see.
"It's a matter of common sense. How would you feel if a social worker turned up at your door wearing something that resembled a Ku Klux Klan outfit?"
He said several councillors supported him, but were wary of making their views public.
In the proposals, due to be put before the Equality and Community Cohesion Group, Coun Clegg – who said two members of staff wore the full burka – has asked for a policy to be drawn up and urged an outright ban.
In a newsletter to be distributed in his Warley ward, a largely Asian area, he has asked for public support on the issue.
He says early action will stop a similar process to that faced by a Dewsbury school when teaching assistant Aishah Azmi refused to remove her veil while working with children.
Councillors who sit on the equality sub-group said they probably would not support an outright ban but admitted a policy was needed.
Any final decisions would go to the full council.
Andrew Feather (Con, Sowerby Bridge) said: "We have to respect other people's faiths, but from a personal view I find it hard to understand when talking to someone in a veil."
He said while a ban may be difficult to implement legally, he felt those who wore the outfit should remove the niqab if asked.
Peter Wardhaugh (Lib Dem, Greetland) said: "It's right this issue has been brought up. It needs careful consideration.
"We want to be an inclusive council but at the same time need to question whether clothing like this can restrict that inclusivity and cause problems with understanding."
But Amjid Mahmood, secretary of the Muslim Association of Calderdale, said many Muslims would protest at the proposals.
He said: "If a person wishes to express their faith through dress, which causes no harm to anyone, then for the council to approve such action would be an infringement of their rights."
A council source said he knew of only one colleague who regularly wore a veil and she was always willing to remove it when introduced to people.
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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