What the **** is Boris thinking?

[Monty92]

Eh? Woz he done then?

He indelicately (by comparing them to letter boxes) pointed out that face coverings are a symbol of patriarchal oppression, while also declaring that he opposes them being banned.

[Burney]

He knows exactly who he's going to upset and does so quite deliberately.

Exactly. As someone said earlier, if you've upset Jess Philips, Stella Creasy, Sayeeda Warsi and the Muslim Council of Britain, you're doing something right.

[Monty92]

Exactly. As someone said earlier, if you've upset Jess Philips, Stella Creasy, Sayeeda Warsi and the Muslim Council of Britain, you're doing something right.

Weirdly, none of those proud feminists had nothing to say about the "face coverings are a symbol of patriarchal oppression" bit of his article, nor that he doesn't want them banned due to his commitment to religious freedom.

[Burney]

Weirdly, none of that lot had nothing to say about the "face coverings are a symbol of patriarchal oppression" bit of his article, nor that he doesn't want them banned due to his respect for religious freedom.

Hmmm. Noted 'feminists' Jess Phillips (MP for Birmingham Yardley with its 33.6% muslim population) and Stella Creasy (MP for Walthamstow with its 25% muslim population) turning a blind eye to the obvious patriarchal oppression inherent to the Burqa?

What could possibly explain this apparent hypocrisy?

[WES]

He indelicately (by comparing them to letter boxes) pointed out that face coverings are a symbol of patriarchal oppression, while also declaring that he opposes them being banned.

Ah, that. Yes, I would -unusually - agree with you that it was very stupid.

Mostly because women covering their heads in any form just isn't worth the fight, not at this point. Let them wear what they want regardless of the motivation and focus on improving integration. If we win that battle, with time, the head covering will disappear.

All it does now is create conflict and get the Islamophobia cretins like Mehdi Hassan in an uproar.

[Burney]

Ah, that. Yes, I would -unusually - agree with you that it was very stupid.

Mostly because women covering their heads in any form just isn't worth the fight, not at this point. Let them wear what they want regardless of the motivation and focus on improving integration. If we win that battle, with time, the head covering will disappear.

All it does now is create conflict and get the Islamophobia cretins like Mehdi Hassan in an uproar.

Hilarious that you imagine we can 'integrate' with a culture that sets out quite deliberately to ensure that its womenfolk can't even be seen by anyone, let alone 'integrate' with them. The whole notion of integration with Islam is ridiculously stupid, since it grandly assumes that Islamic society actually wants to integrate with ours despite the fact that pretty much everything it has done over the last 30-40 years has made it abundantly clear that it does not.

Integration, ffs!

And Boris's comments are very deliberate. They are designed to mark him out in the leadership campaign as not just another bland, corporate placeholder, toeing the politically-correct line and parroting the PC orthodoxies (like May), but someone who is prepared to say the controversial thing and will confront the uncomfortable truths.

[WES]

Hilarious that you imagine we can 'integrate' with a culture that sets out quite deliberately to ensure that its womenfolk can't even be seen by anyone, let alone 'integrate' with them. The whole notion of integration with Islam is ridiculously stupid, since it grandly assumes that Islamic society actually wants to integrate with ours despite the fact that pretty much everything it has done over the last 30-40 years has made it abundantly clear that it does not.

Integration, ffs!

And Boris's comments are very deliberate. They are designed to mark him out in the leadership campaign as not just another bland, corporate placeholder, toeing the politically-correct line and parroting the PC orthodoxies (like May), but someone who is prepared to say the controversial thing and will confront the uncomfortable truths.

You don't think that Muslims who were born in this country are anymore integrated than their parents who came here from Pakistan or Bangladesh, as examples? Seriously?

Of course they are. And the people in our Muslim communities who don't want to integrate are in the minority and almost overwhelmingly immigrants. You're taking a small segment of these communities and elevating their views as though it was some sort of standard for all Muslims.

It isn't.

[Burney]

You don't think that Muslims who were born in this country are anymore integrated than their parents who came here from Pakistan or Bangladesh, as examples? Seriously?

Of course they are. And the people in our Muslim communities who don't want to integrate are in the minority and almost overwhelmingly immigrants. You're taking a small segment of these communities and elevating their views as though it was some sort of standard for all Muslims.

It isn't.

No. In fact, in many cases, second and third-generation muslims are proving MORE conservative and LESS integrated into our societies than their parents as they seek an identity in more and more extreme types of Islam. This is a demonstrable social phenomenon. Look at most of our home-grown islamic terrorists - born and bred here, but far more extreme than their parents' generation.

Muslims marry outside their communities less than any other ethnic group in this country - indeed they marry within their families more than any other ethnic group. They deliberately ghettoise themselves in distinct areas and set up separate schools, while their religious and cultural traditions - quite deliberately - reinforce division and make their social integration with other ethnic groups incredibly difficult.

Basically, every aspect of UK islamic culture is explicitly telling the rest of us to fvck off. Which part of the hint aren't you getting?

[WES]

No. In fact, in many cases, second and third-generation muslims are proving MORE conservative and LESS integrated into our societies than their parents as they seek an identity in more and more extreme types of Islam. This is a demonstrable social phenomenon. Look at most of our home-grown islamic terrorists - born and bred here, but far more extreme than their parents' generation.

Muslims marry outside their communities less than any other ethnic group in this country - indeed they marry within their families more than any other ethnic group. They deliberately ghettoise themselves in distinct areas and set up separate schools, while their religious and cultural traditions - quite deliberately - reinforce division and make their social integration with other ethnic groups incredibly difficult.

Basically, every aspect of UK islamic culture is explicitly telling the rest of us to fvck off. Which part of the hint aren't you getting?

The bit where you grossly exaggerate the issue to the point that you sound ridiculous.

'Basically, every aspect of UK islamic culture is explicitly telling the rest of us to fvck off.'

[Sir C]

You don't think that Muslims who were born in this country are anymore integrated than their parents who came here from Pakistan or Bangladesh, as examples? Seriously?

Of course they are. And the people in our Muslim communities who don't want to integrate are in the minority and almost overwhelmingly immigrants. You're taking a small segment of these communities and elevating their views as though it was some sort of standard for all Muslims.

It isn't.

Drive down Whitechapel Road on a Friday afternoon and note all the cheerful young muslim gentlemen, all smiling and happy to be integrated into the local community...