Oz opposition leader Abbott says burkas are “particularly confronting” attire

CANBERRA - Australian opposition leader Tony Abbott has labelled the burka a “particularly confronting” piece of clothing and wished to see fewer women in the country wearing the traditional Muslim attire.

According to the Courier Mail, Abbott, who is campaigning in Queensland in the marginal seat of Dickson, said that he would not interfere in the court’s decision on whether the woman should be banned from wearing the veil.

“I don’t want to interfere in the operations of our legal system but I have said it before and let me say it again, I find the Burka a particularly confronting form of attire,” he added.

Earlier in August, Liberal senator Cory Bernardi called for Australia to follow the lead of France and ban the burka, linking it to the “expansion of fundamentalist Islam”.

“This is a system where women are considered as second class citizens and homosexuals can be hanged. We need to stop the expansion of fundamentalist Islam in Australia lest we lose the foundation, the essence, the very culture of our great nation” Senator Bernardi said then. (ANI)