Muslims should help full face veil disappear from UK within 20 years, says Baroness Warsi

'I just don’t know what its purpose is in terms of British Islam,' says Conservative peer

Harriet Agerholm
Tuesday 30 May 2017 18:06 BST
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Baroness Warsi said she did not want the veil banned 'with a government diktat'
Baroness Warsi said she did not want the veil banned 'with a government diktat'

Britain’s first Muslim Cabinet minister has said she hopes women will stop wearing the Islamic face veil in the UK within 20 years.

Baroness Sayeed Warsi, who served as Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs under David Cameron's leadership, said she did not want the veil banned, but instead wanted Muslims to lead “lead the charge” against the niqab.

“I just don’t know what its purpose is in terms of British Islam,” she said at the Hay literary festival.

“In Britain, and as I am a huge civil libertarian, we don’t ban things. We actually allow communities to say this is not a good thing for us and the argument I’m making is I want British Muslims to lead that charge, to say this is not the best manifestation of British Islam and, therefore, is this a garment which in 10 or 20 years time is going to be part of the landscape?

“I sincerely hope we’re heading in that direction where it won’t be. But I don’t want it to be done with a government diktat.”

Debate around Islamic dress reignited in Britain when Ukip proposed a ban on the burqa and niqab in its manifesto. Among the reasons given by the party was that a burqa "prevents intake of essential vitamin D from sunlight".

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