Splits deepen over British minister Johnson's burqa comments

[webfact]

Splits deepen over British minister Johnson's burqa comments

 

Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson walks to Downing Street in London, June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville/Files

 

THAME, England (Reuters) - Former British foreign minister Boris Johnson returned from his summer holiday to face both criticism and support over his remarks about burqas, amid deepening divisions in Britain's ruling Conservative Party on Sunday.

 

Johnson, seen as the biggest threat to Prime Minister Theresa May's struggling leadership, has become a lightning rod for discontent within the party after a newspaper column in which he said Muslim women who wear burqas look like letter boxes or bank robbers.

 

The comments came in a piece arguing against a ban on the Islamic full-face veil, but have been criticised as Islamophobic. Others saw the remarks as colourful rhetoric that strikes a chord with many Britons.

 

May has scolded Johnson, stirring anger amongst those of his supporters who see him as the focal point for resistance to her proposed "business-friendly" Brexit plan. The party has also launched an investigation into his remarks.

 

Under the headline "Boris sparks cabinet war" the Sunday Times said four unnamed senior ministers were dismayed at May's handling of the situation.

 

"They have managed to engineer a total disaster," one minister was quoted as saying. "Trying to silence Boris is stupid, especially when the majority of people agree with him."

 

Johnson spent Sunday at his residence in the small town of Thame, around 50 miles north west of London, emerging only to bring cups of tea to reporters. Asked whether he regretted his comments, he declined to comment.

 

Johnson resigned from the cabinet last month in protest at May's Brexit plan, setting himself up as a talisman for the many Conservatives who want a more radical departure from the European Union.

 

Meanwhile, May has struggled to hold her cabinet together on Brexit and faces a testing few months in which she hopes to secure a deal on leaving the EU, face the party's unhappy grassroots, and win a crucial vote in parliament.

 

Johnson's burqa remarks were defended by, amongst others, Donald Trump's former political strategist Steve Bannon, who told the Sunday Times that his overall message had been lost because of a "throwaway line".

 

Bannon has previously called on Johnson to challenge May's leadership.

 

But a Conservative member of the upper house of parliament and former government polling adviser, Andrew Cooper, accused Johnson of "moral emptiness" and populism over the remarks.

 

"The rottenness of Boris Johnson goes deeper even than his casual racism & his equally casual courting of fascism. He will advocate literally anything to play to the crowd of the moment," Cooper said on Twitter.

 

Johnson, who has made clear that he does not intend to apologise, returned to Britain on Saturday. His is expected to break his silence in his regular column, due to be published by the Telegraph newspaper late on Sunday.

 

(Reporting by Peter Nicholls in Thame and William James in London; Editing by Giles Elgood)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-08-13

 

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Under the headline "Boris sparks cabinet war" 

Which was his goal all along. 

[anon537687643]

Nonsense! Johnson calls it as it is! Mays Pimps were put out to attack and damage his credibility for other reasons and it failed! To think he actually supported to right to wear religious clothing sums up his opponents pathetic attacks!

 

 

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[sammieuk1]

Is about to chuck himself on the railings but forgot he's not tall enough?

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

“The rottenness of Boris Johnson goes deeper even than his casual racism & his equally casual courting of fascism. He will advocate literally anything to play to the crowd of the moment," Cooper said on Twitter.

Brilliant quote. 

[My Thai Life]

"As a Muslim woman, I’d like to thank Boris Johnson for calling out the niqab...."

 

https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/08/as-a-muslim-woman-id-like-to-thank-boris-johnson-for-calling-out-the-niqab/

[DoctorG]

Just because it might hurt your feelings does not mean it isn't true.

[terryw]

Those people wishing to punish Johnson, including Mrs May, have clearly lost the plot when it comes to defending free speech.

[naboo]

2 minutes ago, terryw said:

Those people wishing to punish Johnson, including Mrs May, have clearly lost the plot when it comes to defending free speech.

 

What does "free speech" mean?

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, terryw said:

Those people wishing to punish Johnson, including Mrs May, have clearly lost the plot when it comes to defending free speech.

Free speech without accountability for what is said?

 

 

[phantomfiddler]

No-one should be allowed to walk around in public with their face covered up. Just a pair of eyes peeking out is not enough facial recognition for modern demands.

[Thingamabob]

Media garbage. They, the media, are making much ado about nothing. As per usual.

[Get Real]

Boris, Boris, Boris! You are the perfect mix of Dustin Hoffman in Rainman ans Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo´s Nest.

[Justgrazing]

Jesus haven't they got anything better to do than keep this burning .. That brexit exit shit is just 'round the corner and all they can do is incessantly bicker like kids in the school yard over something like this .. 

[Ulic]

Comparing Muslim women who ware the Burka to letterboxes and bank robbers. That's it, that's all.

All the fuss about that. Mach ado about nothing. 

[dunroaming]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Under the headline "Boris sparks cabinet war" the Sunday Times said four unnamed senior ministers were dismayed at May's handling of the situation.

Everything Boris does is orchestrated and planned.  He plays the buffoon but he is actually out to get rid of May as he was out to get rid of Cameron.  If he simply blows then May will fall over and be gone, such is her position now.  The question is when will he blow?  Before or after March next year.  Whatever the result May will be toast anyway.

 

May was pushed into calling for an enquiry but it won't come to anything.  This is Johnson playing to the crowd with his wing man JRM chirping in when he is told to.

[Krataiboy]

4 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Free speech without accountability for what is said?

 

 

There is already no such thing as free speech without acountability. One is either legally accountable or socially accountable, as Boris is discovering. 

 

He is paying the social - and eventually possibly a heavy political price - for causing offence to a religious minority group which we are being brainwashd by a dhimmi Establishment and their mass media minions into believing should be beyond criticism or reproach.

 

This is dangerous, discriminatory nonsense and must be resisted.

 

If the women walking around in black tents were Scientologists or Mormons, instead of second-class citizens of an egregiously patriarchal religion, does anybody seriously believe the result would have been the same chorus of outrage?

 

In a free and open society like Britain, where the Queen is Defender of the national faith, Christians cheerfully put up with endless jokes about Jesus, the Virgin Mary and the Pope, irrespective of who makes them. 

 

But God or Allah help anyone - Muslim or infidel - rash enough to pull the Prophet's leg. Just ask Salman Rushdie or the grieving families of the Charlie Hebdo victims.

 

We need to learn the lessons of recent history and fight to defend our hard-won right to free speech at any price.

[dick dasterdly]

Boris is far from stupid, but plays the buffoon frighteningly well, to attract voters who think he's a 'breath of fresh air, an honest politician who only says what most are thinking'.....

 

The media and politicians would be far better served by ignoring his funny (but popular) comments - instead of turning them into political/'cause celebre' issues....

[dunroaming]

It is true that many Muslims are oversensitive  to fun or criticism of their religion as are many Jewish people to theirs.  That is probably due to the fact that they feel there is precedence against them.  There certainly was for years in the UK but now, as most Muslims we see today were born and raised here they are far more integrated than before.  And let's not forget the wonderful "Goodness Gracious me" that poked fun at the whole Asian community.  And more recently Citizen Khan. 

 

The British are much more relaxed at making fun of their religion but much of that is because they don't feel strongly about it.  That is obvious by the empty churches.  And they don't really come in for racism either.  Nobody goes up to a Catholic and calls them a damned "Catholic Pedo!"  Whereas there are plenty who call Muslims "terrorists!"  

[joecoolfrog]

6 hours ago, terryw said:

Those people wishing to punish Johnson, including Mrs May, have clearly lost the plot when it comes to defending free speech.

Free speech is a misnomer , there can be consequencies , always have been. Have you gone through life saying exactly what you feel , to whoever , whenever , I very much doubt it. 

Unless one is a complete moron they understand that you cannot just say what you wish , as I said there are consequencies.

[Enoon]

1 hour ago, Krataiboy said:

In a free and open society like Britain, where the Queen is Defender of the national faith

 

 The heir has stated that he will be defender of all "Faith".

 

Prince Charles to be known as Defender of Faith - Telegraph

 

I have no doubt whatsoever that his heir will continue that.

 

 

 

 

[dick dasterdly]

31 minutes ago, dunroaming said:

It is true that many Muslims are oversensitive  to fun or criticism of their religion as are many Jewish people to theirs.  That is probably due to the fact that they feel there is precedence against them.  There certainly was for years in the UK but now, as most Muslims we see today were born and raised here they are far more integrated than before.  And let's not forget the wonderful "Goodness Gracious me" that poked fun at the whole Asian community.  And more recently Citizen Khan. 

 

The British are much more relaxed at making fun of their religion but much of that is because they don't feel strongly about it.  That is obvious by the empty churches.  And they don't really come in for racism either.  Nobody goes up to a Catholic and calls them a damned "Catholic Pedo!"  Whereas there are plenty who call Muslims "terrorists!"  

The British are much more relaxed at making fun of their religion but much of that is because they don't feel strongly about it.  That is obvious by the empty churches.  And they don't really come in for racism either.  Nobody goes up to a Catholic and calls them a damned "Catholic Pedo!"  Whereas there are plenty who call Muslims "terrorists!" 

 

I agree with a large part of your post.  Most brits. don't care much about 'their' religion, so have no problem with those making fun of it.  Life of Brian is a prime example - hilarious, and enjoyed by pretty much everyone.

 

I disagree slightly insofar as whilst nobody would go "up to a Catholic and calls them a "damned Catholic Pedo" - quite a few non-Catholics are (understandably) increasingly suspicious about some of their priests.....

 

In a similar way, very few (if any) think all Moslems are terrorists!

[foxboy]

The fact that the burqa is being banned in many countries, including some Islamic ones, means it's at least worthy of discussion. Boris's comments should spark a debate about that, and not whether he is a racist or Islamaphobe (incidentally, his article was actually defending women's right to wear the burqa!). So why does everyone have to immediately jump on the high moral ground and denounce him? Well the reason is simple.. we have become a nation of apologists, with no room left for sensible discourse anymore. 

It is advisable to either agree wholeheartedly with delicate positions, or keep quiet. If you dare to express criticism, pray that the virtue-signallers take mercy on you.

[spidermike007]

I never know what is offensive or not these days. I am so non PC that I often say things people find offensive. I do agree with him. The hajib is rather attractive, and usually I consider women wearing them to be fairly moderate in their beliefs. But, the Niqab and the burka are downright ridiculous. Why on earth do you need to be entirely covered up with a little slit for your eyes? The middle eastern men who insist their women wear them, strike me as the most insecure men on the planet. If my woman is covered from head to foot, and nobody can see her face, body, or skin, nobody will desire her, and she cannot get in trouble. While that reasoning might have worked in 1290AD, it seems rather inane, silly, inappropriate, grossly misogynistic, and brain dead these days. Am I missing something here? 

 

Lastly, the debate about assimilation. How on earth can we hope that people from these nations who wear these ridiculous costumes, can assimilate into our societies? Is Johnson being Islamophobic, or just saying what many of us are thinking?

 

 

[TPI]

6 hours ago, Get Real said:

Boris, Boris, Boris! You are the perfect mix of Dustin Hoffman in Rainman ans Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo´s Nest.

The smartest and most cutting thing I've read in years, "they look like a letter box", damn funny!!??

[TPI]

51 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I never know what is offensive or not these days. I am so non PC that I often say things people find offensive. I do agree with him. The hajib is rather attractive, and usually I consider women wearing them to be fairly moderate in their beliefs. But, the Niqab and the burka are downright ridiculous. Why on earth do you need to be entirely covered up with a little slit for your eyes? The middle eastern men who insist their women wear them, strike me as the most insecure men on the planet. If my woman is covered from head to foot, and nobody can see her face, body, or skin, nobody will desire her, and she cannot get in trouble. While that reasoning might have worked in 1290AD, it seems rather inane, silly, inappropriate, grossly misogynistic, and brain dead these days. Am I missing something here? 

 

Lastly, the debate about assimilation. How on earth can we hope that people from these nations who wear these ridiculous costumes, can assimilate into our societies? Is Johnson being Islamophobic, or just saying what many of us are thinking?

 

 

Boris is just saying what everyone is thinking, I'm having trouble working out how people can be offended by a simple funny jibe!

 

[Krataiboy]

1 hour ago, Enoon said:

 

 The heir has stated that he will be defender of all "Faith".

 

Prince Charles to be known as Defender of Faith - Telegraph

 

I have no doubt whatsoever that his heir will continue that.

 

 

 

 

The way things are shaping up, Charlie could end up defending only one faith. And it won't be Christianity, Buddhism or Scientology.

[anon537687643]

Liberal Democracies, France Denmark etc ban these black over all body covers. Johnson says they are free to do so and fake furore follows... it is pathetic !


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[mok199]

11 hours ago, My Thai Life said:

"As a Muslim woman, I’d like to thank Boris Johnson for calling out the niqab...."

 

https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/08/as-a-muslim-woman-id-like-to-thank-boris-johnson-for-calling-out-the-niqab/

as a letter box/bank robber I am offended to be compared to a niqab

[mok199]

as a letter box/ bank robber I am offended to be compared to a niqab