COMMENTS by Boris Johnson that Muslim women wearing burkas look like letter boxes have been condemned as “offensive” by a Government minister.
The former Foreign Secretary came under fire after he said he opposed a ban on the face-covering veils, but described them as “absolutely ridiculous” – comparing their wearers to rebellious teenagers and insisting they look like bank robbers.
Conservative chairman Brandon Lewis has now called on him to apologise.
Middle East minister Alistair Burt told the BBC: "I would never have made such a comment, I think there is a degree of offence in that, absolutely right.
"What he was trying to make a serious point about is the UK Government will not enforce any clothing restriction on anyone."
Asked about Mr Johnson, Mr Burt said: "What a great guy."
Mr Johnson made the comments in response to Denmark's introduction of a ban on burkas in public places, sparking an angry backlash from Muslim organisations and MPs, who accused him of stoking Islamophobia for political gain.
Mr Burt added: "I wish he hadn't accompanied it with a comment that I certainly wouldn't make and I think many people would find offensive, yes."
Asked if Mr Johnson's column amounted to Islamophobia, Fiyaz Mughal, founder of Tell Mama UK, which campaigns against anti-Muslim violence, told the BBC: "Clearly it does, these are the kind of comments we have seen that have been made by extremist far-right groups and people who have been maliciously attacking Muslims, so clearly it does fit that bracket."
Mr Mughal criticised the "sheer flippancy in which it was made".
Describing the Government's response, he added: "It's not acceptable, the fact of the matter is the relationship with Muslim communities is extremely poor with this Government and at a time when many members of the Muslim community are feeling targeted and are being targeted, the fact is the community wants reassurance centrally from 10 Downing Street.
"That reassurance should be coming quickly and effectively. It's now 24 hours have gone by, the message that members of the Muslim community get is that their concerns are not taken into account."
He went on: "It's not good enough, we have multiple incidences at a local level, we know that, but the fact is now you have central characters in the Conservative Party making such comments shows actually this is not just a localised issue."
Mohammed Amin, chair of the Conservative Muslim Forum, said he was “horrified” by the remarks.
He called on Prime Minister Theresa May to reprimand Mr Johnson and threaten to withdraw the whip if he makes similar comments again.
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