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UK double standard: Prominent Leftists attacked the burqa, never got Boris Johnson treatment

Aug 17, 2018 6:38 pm By Christine Douglass-Williams

It’s no secret that different rules apply to Leftist politicians and media than to those of the right-wing persuasion.

Establishment ‘conservatives’ and left-liberal politicians and journalists have rushed to condemn Brexiteer former foreign secretary Boris Johnson for his comments on the “ridiculous” burqa, branding him “Islamophobic” and even “racist” — but have not shied away from criticising the garment themselves in the past.

Some of the Leftist attacks on the burqa are far more mocking than were Boris Johnson’s statements, but there continue to be widespread, dogged efforts to iron-brand conservatives as “racists” and “Islamophobes” who must be silenced.

“‘An Instrument of Persecution’ – Seven Times Anti-Boris Leftists Attacked the Burqa,” by Jack Montgomery, Breitbart, August 13, 2018:

Establishment ‘conservatives’ and left-liberal politicians and journalists have rushed to condemn Brexiteer former foreign secretary Boris Johnson for his comments on the “ridiculous” burqa, branding him “Islamophobic” and even “racist” — but have not shied away from criticising the garment themselves in the past.

The two-time Mayor of London’s relatively mild comments on the full face veil — in which he opposed a ban on the garment, as a large majority of the public would like to see — were nothing new in the British public sphere, with even his comparison of wearers to “letterboxes” having been advanced by left-liberal outlets before.

Cherie Blair

The wife of former prime minister Tony Blair, also a practising Queen’s Counsel and part-time judge working under her maiden name Cherie Booth, hosted a briefing on ‘lifting the veil’ in 2001, as her husband was sending British forces into Afghanistan.

Press reports indicate Mrs Blair was critical of the garment, with a photograph accompanying a BBC account of the briefing showing her holding circled fingers up to her face like goggles in what appears to be an impression of a veiled Muslim woman.

Mrs Blair was still criticising face veils years later in 2007, remarking that “if you get to a stage where a woman is not able to express her personality because you can’t see her face, then you do start to have to ask whether this is something that is actually acknowledging the woman’s right to be a person in her own right.”

Polly Toynbee

Guardian columnist and former BBC social affairs editor Polly Toynbee — the British left’s star journalistic attack dog before the era of Owen Jones and social media — was absolutely scathing about the burqa in 2001.

“Something horrible flits across the background in scenes from Afghanistan, scuttling out of sight. There it is, a brief blue or black flash, a grotesque Scream 1, 2 and 3 personified – a woman,” she wrote.

“The top-to-toe burka, with its sinister, airless little grille, is more than an instrument of persecution, it is a public tarring and feathering of female sexuality. It transforms any woman into an object of defilement too untouchably disgusting to be seen. It is a garment of lurid sexual suggestiveness: what rampant desire and desirability lurks and leers beneath its dark mysteries? In its objectifying of women, it turns them into cowering creatures demanding and expecting violence and victimisation. Forget cultural sensibilities.”

Back then, Toynbee felt confident enough in her position to anticipate her critics and dismiss them: “The pens sharpen – Islamophobia! No such thing,” she declared, much like the late Christopher Hitchens.

By 2018 the situation had clearly changed, with Toynbee complaining that the Tory Party had to come to the defence of Labour’s Sadiq Khan against alleged “racist attacks” from President Donald Trump, or else “confirm all Baroness [Sayeeda] Warsi says about deep racism and Islamophobia in their party”.

Have I Got News For You

Leftist actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry made a jibe very similar to Boris Johnson’s “letterbox” comment in an appearance of BBC current affairs comedy Have I Got News For You suggesting “I just posted something in that” as a caption for a picture of Prince Charles opposite a woman in a niqab……

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Filed Under: "Islamophobia", free speech, United Kingdom, Useful idiots, women's rights in Islam Tagged With: Boris Johnson, burqa


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Comments

  1. Andy says

    Aug 17, 2018 at 6:41 pm

    The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill.

    oh sorry, I mean

    The Continuing Story of Boris And The Burka

    • Andy says

      Aug 17, 2018 at 10:05 pm

      • Phil Copson says

        Aug 18, 2018 at 6:20 am

        Andy – I don’t know if “Britain’s lost it’s sense of humour…” or not, but it does appear to have lost the letter “T” in the middle of it…… where is this country called “Bri-Unn” exactly ?

        You’re not alone in this, of course – almost every politician/commentator etc seems to think that they live in a country called “Grey Bri-Unn” – dropping the letter”T” in “Britain”, and on the end of “that” “what” “but” etc, and mouthing “tha’ ” / “wha’ and “bu’ ” instead, is their attempt to be “down with the proles” and secure the “Vicky Pollard vote”.

        This always makes me wonder how sincerely people are attached to the land of their birth, if it means so little to them that they can’t even be bothered to pronounce it’s name properly……

    • Jayell says

      Aug 18, 2018 at 4:17 am

      ‘There is no humour in islam’.
      ‘A sense of humour is a sign of intelligence’.

      Conclusion?

  2. Flavius Claudius Iulianus says

    Aug 17, 2018 at 6:53 pm

    Hey, this is a great idea. Every time you’re in a tech store, bring up JihadWatch.org on all the machines/devices!

    https://www.newswars.com/video-come-and-take-it-girl-changes-all-apple-store-devices-to-show-infowars-com-to-protest-censorship/

  3. Flavius Claudius Iulianus says

    Aug 17, 2018 at 6:57 pm

    Bobo knows that there is no such thing as bad publicity. Many originally thought (including me) that Trump was a clown. He’s ended up being one of the best things to happen to the Western World.
    Bobo for PM! It could save the UK.

    • Tony Holland says

      Aug 18, 2018 at 6:09 am

      Yep in complete agreement,Bojo doesn’t say anything ‘off the cuff’ he knows exactly the impact of his ‘derogatory’ remarks and his following ‘softener’ about not banning the bin bag like other countries have,’good cop,bad cop’ routine,much the same as you said about Trumpy,I also think he was sent to us at a critical time in our deeply troubled world,we need Trump so badly to ‘drain the swamp’ in America AND Europe,he detests Brussels,Mad Merkel,Macron and all the other lazy,crazy bastard federalists,he will be considered the best ever President for his stance against the ‘deep state’,against the evil of islam,against the ‘new world order’ being promoted by that other crazy son of a bitch,Soros.I liked Trump’s simplicity of comunication right from the start,his very clever ‘by pass’ of the fake news press with twitter,he wrong foots them all the time,yep the right man at the right time and when did we last qoute that about a politician,oh yes,the GREATEST,— CHURCHILL.

  4. gravenimage says

    Aug 17, 2018 at 8:03 pm

    UK double standard: Prominent Leftists attacked the burqa, never got Boris Johnson treatment
    ………………….

    Always a low form of politics when the issue is not the concern, but just who expressed concern over it.

    • Yokel says

      Aug 18, 2018 at 12:45 pm

      Agreed.

      The political gossip site Guido Fawkes
      https://order-order.com/2018/08/08/remainers-twist-knife-into-boris/
      pointed out that all the attackers, from whichever party, are all Brexit Remainers. They are worried that Boris Johnson might actually become the leader of the Tory party, and therefore our PM. He was prominent in the Leave campaign during the referendum.

      This fracas is manufactured for that purpose, and has nothing to do with “islamophobia” except to prove once again that it is a useful word to beat one’s opponents with, when losing an argument!

  5. Westman says

    Aug 18, 2018 at 1:09 am

    When someone. accuses us of racism because we oppose an incompatible political culture we should respond with the truth – we are culturalists who believe in the value of our own culture. If other people come to this culture then to belong they must adopt our culture or it becomes diluted or lost.

    Our (US) culture is rooted in the US Constitution which Islam denies as the governing authority. Islam has declared democracy and the constitution as illegitimate. It is an enemy of US culture.

    Is our culture superior to Islamic culture – absolutely.

    • gravenimage says

      Aug 18, 2018 at 1:14 am

      Hear, hear, Westman!

  6. Phobic-ist says

    Aug 18, 2018 at 2:50 am

    No one does rampant hypocrisy quite like leftists.

  7. Terry Gain says

    Aug 18, 2018 at 10:43 am

    KUDOS TO FACEBOOK

    Those are words which i never thought i would type. On August 15, I was on a British website dealing with the latest vehicle attack in London. Still annoyed by the treatment of Tommy Robinson and the House of Lords dismissal of Lord Pearson’s excellent suggestion for a Fatwa on rape gangs. I stepped outside my usual genteel Chamberlain- like persona and posted a blunt comment designed to grab the Brits attention.

    My comment was flagged as Hate Speech and I received a notice from Facebook. My account was suspended. The account was restored later that day when I successfully appealed the initial decision.

    Here is the exchange with Facebook.

    FB “This comment goes against our Community Standards on hate speech.”

    Only you can see this post.
    If you request a review, we’ll have someone take another look at the post.

    [My comment which was flagged]

    “his motives could be religious” Wow such insight. You cowardly Limeys are getting exactly what you deserve.

    Your reply
    Aug 15
    Why does Facebook oppose free speech. My comment was helpful. The best medicine is sometimes distasteful. The British will never have peace again so long as they pretend they don’t know what motivates Muslim attacks. Does FB not want the British to have peace.

    We’re reviewing your post
    Aug 15
    Someone will be taking another look at this post.

    Your post is back on Facebook
    Aug 15
    We’re sorry we got this wrong. We reviewed your post again and it does follow our Community Standards.
    We appreciate you taking the time to request a review. Your feedback helps us do better.”

    ———————

  8. Carolyne says

    Aug 18, 2018 at 11:17 am

    Boris Johnson is wrong. Women in burkas do not look like “Letterboxes.” They look like garbage bags full of garbage left on the curb for pickup.

    • Carol the 1st says

      Aug 19, 2018 at 9:22 am

      Sounds like the “final phase of self-supported self-annihilation”. Maybe there could be a call line for the pickup trucks – “Hello, my menopause has arrived and my value is now negligible in the eyes of my keeper. Can you pick me up soon as I’ve already been “kicked to the curb” and people think I’m beginning to stink?

      • Carol the 1st says

        Aug 19, 2018 at 9:30 am

        ,,,and said bagful might add “God help me!”

  9. Carolyne says

    Aug 18, 2018 at 11:21 am

    Once again!
    Mr. Johnson is wrong. Women in burkas do not look like “Letterboxes.” They look like full bags of garbage left on the curb for pickup.

  10. Bill Shackelford says

    Aug 19, 2018 at 12:48 am

    And right here in America – The Democrat Party; the party of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John Kennedy; Bill Clinton, has become the party of Islam.

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