Call for women to ditch burka

THE burka dress does not belong in 21st century Britain, according to an Oldham Euro MP.

Liberal Democrat Chris Davies says that he wants local Muslim women to take a lead in making clear that the wearing of the burka is “not welcome.”

Mr Davies said that politicians were slow to take action to curb forced marriages within the Muslim community, but it was time now to speak out against a dress code that “reduced women to subservience.”

The burka completely envelopes the wearer leaving only their eyes visible. President Sarkozy of France this week attacked it as an assault upon the dignity of women.

“Both sexes should be free to express their identity through the dress they wear. But in my experience, the burka acts as a mask, reducing identity.”

"If there are men who want to use the burka to impose their own will upon women in their family they should feel the full force of society's disapproval."