Majority of Britons support burqa ban

LONDON, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Significant majorities of Britons support bans on the burqa and niqab, Islamic women's garments that cover the body and face, a poll indicates.

There is less support for a ban on the hijab, the headscarf that covers the hair, an Angus Reid Public Opinion poll said. The group polled 2,001 adults online, showing them pictures of all three garments.

At least two-thirds of respondents support bans on the burqa and niqab, with 72 percent wanting the burqa banned in all public places and 66 percent the niqab. A larger percentage, 79 percent, would support forbidding women from wearing burqas at schools and universities and in airports, while 75 percent would ban the niqab at schools and 85 percent in airports.

Both garments cover the entire body with the burqa including a net veil over the eyes.

But 75 percent say there should be no public bans on hijabs, while 63 percent say women should be able to wear them in airports and 69 percent in schools and universities.

A total of 67 percent said garments concealing women's faces are against British values. But 58 percent said the government should not tell anyone what to wear.