By dressing in a burka in the parliament, an Australian senator has angered the people enormously. In the process of trying to ban the Muslim garment, she did it. Other senators attacked Pauline Hanson, one of them said that she displayed racism of the most obvious kind. Work in the Senate had to stop as she refused to take off the item.
Senator Attempting to Ban Face Coverings
The Queensland senator, who is a member of the One Nation party that is against immigration, proposed a bill that would prohibit people from wearing full-face coverings in public. She has been talking about this policy for quite a long time. This is the second time she has appeared in parliament wearing the garment. The burka covers the face and body. She said what she did was to protest the Senate’s saying no to her bill.
Other lawmakers blocked her from bringing in the bill on Monday. Shortly after this, she came back wearing a black burka. This is a racist senator, displaying blatant racism, said Mehreen Faruqi. Faruqi is a Muslim Greens senator from New South Wales. Fatima Payman called what happened disgraceful. Payman is an independent senator from Western Australia.
Other Senators Say Action Was Wrong
Labour’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong leads the government in the Senate. She said it was a disrespectful thing to do. We represent in our states, people of every faith, of every faith of background. And we should do so decently, she said. She also said Hanson was not worthy of being a member of the Australian Senate. Wong put forward a motion to suspend Hanson for not taking off the garment.
Hanson posted on Facebook If they don’t want me wearing it, ban the burka. She had previously worn a burka in parliament in 2017. Then, too, she said there needed to be a national ban. In 2016, people slammed Hanson over her maiden speech to the Australian Senate. She had said the country was in danger of being swamped by Muslims.
Past Speeches Also Caused Anger
This was like her controversial 1996 speech. In that speech, she said the country was in danger of being swamped by Asians. What Hanson did on Monday caused a big mess in parliament. Other senators felt shocked and angry. Many said her stunt was meant to mock and insult Muslim Australians. They said it wasn’t a serious way to talk about policy.
Muslim groups across Australia denounced what Hanson did as hurtful to their feelings and as a sign that she had no respect for their religion or culture. Some said it made them feel unwelcome in their own country. The community leaders said Hanson was trying to divide Australians and create fear about Muslims.
Motion to Suspend Failed
The motion to suspend Hanson did not carry. But the stern words from other senators showed how angry they were. For Wong to say Hanson was unfit to be a senator was strong. That showed just how seriously other lawmakers took what transpired. Hanson has divided opinion in Australian politics for decades. She first entered parliament in 1996. Her maiden speech, then, about being swamped by Asians caused an uproar. Many said her views were racist. But she also had those supporting her hardline views on immigration.
After decades out of parliament, she returned in 2016. Her maiden speech that year about Muslims again angered people. Critics said she used fear and hate to get attention and votes. Her One Nation party has only a handful of seats in parliament. But the party gets a disproportionate amount of media because of the controversial things said and policies pushed.
Some Want a Ban, Others Say No
The debate to ban burkas and other facial coverings has been going on for years in Australia. Proponents for banning the clothing say it’s an issue of security. They say faces should be shown in public places, adding that it facilitates communication with others. Those against the ban argue that it targets Muslims discriminatingly. They say women should have a free choice in what they wear. They say very few women in Australia wear full face coverings anyway. Most Muslim women in Australia do not wear burkas. Some wear headscarves but not things that cover the face.
What happened on Monday put the debate back in the news. However, most senators from all parties said no to Hanson’s bill. They did not want to ban burkas or other face coverings. Many said such a ban would be wrong and would hurt religious freedom. What Hanson did likely hurt rather than helped what she wanted. By wearing the burka as a stunt, she made many people angry. Even some who might have been willing to talk about face covering rules got put off by how she acted. What happened was especially hurtful to the Muslim senators in parliament.
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