1 min read
You know what they say about a stopped clock: that it's right twice a day.
Something similar is going on with Bungle.
I was reading his blog - oh, the things I do so you don't have to - when I came across his response to Philip Hollobone's proposed Private Members' Bill to ban the wearing of the burqa. Ignore most of the guff. His final point is what counts:
if a woman wants to wear the niqab or hijab, it should be their choice
and no one elses. I think that is far more British than Hollobone’s
attempt at a ban.
Thing is, he's right.
Whatever one might feel about the burqa - which I do find offensive and completely out of place in the UK - there is no right not to be offended. Indeed, that's critical to freedom of speech (and freedom of pretty much everything else). I'm sure many Muslims are offended by my Israeli flag, which I've been known to wave. They're certainly offended by many of my pieces, and tell me so. Should I then be prevented by the law from offending them?
The argument for a ban falls apart with the tiniest prodding.
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