UKIP leadership candidate Lisa Duffy is calling for Muslim veils to be banned in public places, describing the hijab as a symbol of “aggressive separatism that can only foster extremism.”
Duffy defended the hijab ban during a campaigning speech in London, claiming it would ensure “equality” in the community. She insisted that the move would not be Islamophobic.
“Why should I, as a white, Christian woman, effectively enjoy greater civil and human rights and freedoms than others?” she asked. “My ambition is that everyone, from every community, should be able to enjoy the same rights and have the same independent control over their lives and their bodies as I do.”
The candidate said she believed the Muslim veil is “forced on women by men who view them as their property.” She even went as far to equate wearing the veil, which is seen as a sacred duty for Muslim women, to wearing “hoods” or motorcycle “helmets” in public.
Duffy has been…