Free Republic

Passport control officials have been criticised by Tory MPs for "waving through" a woman without asking her to remove her full-faced veil. Philip Davies told the Commons he witnessed the scene at Heathrow Airport as a woman underwent checks to enter the UK after flying in from Saudi Arabia. He insisted all women wearing a "full Islamic veil" should have to compulsorily remove it so they can be identified by immigration officials. ... Men are also increasingly dressing up as Islamic women in burkas to commit crimes, Mr Hollobone claimed. Terror suspect Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed went missing last November after...

A wide-ranging US State Department report has criticised France and Belgium for passing controversial laws that prevent women from wearing full Islamic veils. The US on Monday criticised France and Belgium for banning women from wearing face-covering Islamic veils in public, while warning of growing anti-Semitism and hostility towards Muslims in Europe. The US State Department’s report on religious freedoms, researched in 2011 but released on July 30, 2012, warned that freedom of worship was being undermined across the globe -- particularly in China and Pakistan. Commenting on the report, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that more than...

A Belgian parliamentary committee has voted to ban face-covering Islamic veils from being worn in public. The home affairs committee voted unanimously to endorse the move, which must be approved by parliament for it to become law. Such a vote could be held within weeks, correspondents say, meaning that Belgium could become the first European country to implement a ban. France is also considering restricting face-covering veils. There are several types of headscarves and veils for Muslim women - those that cover the face being the niqab and the burka. 'Dangerous precedent' The BBC's Dominic Hughes reports from Brussels that...

The murder of 16-year-old Canadian teen, Aqsa Parvez, by her Pakistani immigrant father for her refusal to wear a burka or hijab has shocked and saddened the nation. As people from all walks of life are mourning her tragic death, Muslims — particularly their religious leaders — have joined the chorus of denials that "Islam has nothing to with the death of Aqsa."