Johnson’s burqa remarks caused offence: British prime minister
British Prime Minister Theresa May has scolded former foreign minister and senior member of the Conservative Party Boris Johnson for comments he made about Muslim women wearing burqa.
May said on Wednesday that Johnson’s descriptions about women wearing burqa, a full-body veil donned by Muslim women to conform to their religion, were clearly offensive.
“I think Boris Johnson used language in describing people’s appearance that has obviously caused offence. It was the wrong language to use. He should not have used it,” May said, insisting that women should be free to wear the burqa if they chose to do so.
In an article written for the Daily Telegraph on Monday, Johnson said he was against a ban by Denmark on the use of burqa and niqab, but he said the cloth was oppressive and women who wore it looked like letter boxes and bank robbers.
The comments caused huge outrage among the British politicians and Muslims. Senior members of the Conservative Party, including its chairman Brandon Lewis, called on Johnson on Tuesday to apologize. Others in the party even said there was a need for removing Johnson’s status as an active member of the party if he refused to say sorry for his Islamophobic words.
Johnson has yet to comment on the issue. The former mayor of London, who is known for his colorful and controversial language, resigned as foreign minister last month after May unveiled a plan for final phases of negotiations with the European Union on Britain’s exit from the bloc.
Many say Johnson’s article in the Daily Telegraph was a deliberate attempt to appease the far-right in Britain as he seeks to ascend to the top post of the Conservative Party and to replace May as prime minister in the next election.
The article also comes amid reports that Johnson has been in contacts with senior members of the alt-right camp in the United States. Some say he is influenced by Steve Bannon, a former top advisor to US President Donald Trump.
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