Majority of voters agree on burka ban in Europe

The e-poll of Alarabiya.net this week, regarding the European campaign against wearing the burka (niqab), has gathered the highest record, with the majority of participants (43%) voting to the choice of the ban being a legitimate right to the countries that imposed it.

Experts and analysts from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Egypt considered the huge participation in the e-poll as a kind of reflection to the importance of Alarabiya.net and its high traffic. It also reflected the good enlightenment of Alarabiya.net visitors and their interaction with the different cultures as well as their full awareness of the importance of respecting European communities and their laws.

The high number of voters also reflected, according to experts and analysts, the importance of the burka (niqab) issue and how the Arabs pay big attention to it. The e-poll results came as a big and unexpected surprise as it should that the Arab public opinion prefers not making a big deal out of that issue.

A total of 14,117 votes have participated in the e-poll since it was published on Thursday, July 22 until it was changed on Thursday, July 29.

The e-poll went as follows:
The European campaign against the burka (niqab) is:
*A legal right for those countries
*A violation of the personal freedom
*A counter-extremism policy

43% of the voters chose 'a legal right for those countries' and 42% considered it 'a violation of the personal freedom', while 15% saw it as 'a counter-extremism policy'.

Ziad Issa, a Beirut based media analyst, said that the number of participants in the e-poll is very high, especially that we are in the summer season and many people are on vacations.

"The issue of niqab in the west is of a big importance in the Arab world. 43% is a very high percentage and reflects the high sense of awareness that the Arabs have and their respect to the European communities and their laws," he said.

Another media expert from Saudi Arabia, Mahdi Abu Fatim, said that the participation of more than 14,000 voters in the e-poll of Alarabiya.net is a clear indication for analysts to get acquainted with the public opinion of the Arabs regarding such a sensitive issue.

"Most e-polls stop at the number of 10,000 voters," he added, pointing out that the niqab issue is of a very high importance to a large number of Muslims "whether to those who are planning to permanently settle in European countries or those who plan to make short visits to Europe."

Egyptian media professor Dr Hanaa Farouk said that the e-poll result is quite logic and reflects the true image of Islam that despises and rejects extremism in all aspects of life; whereas Egyptian analyst Dr Hasanein Keshki said that every European country has the right to ban the niqab as long as this happens through its laws.


(Translated from Arabic by Abeer Tayel)