Uproar Over Call to Ban Muslim Wear
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CANBERRA, Australia — A conservative Australian politician has sparked outrage with a call to ban Muslim women from wearing the chador in public because they could be used to conceal weapons.
In New South Wales’ state parliament Wednesday, the Rev. Fred Nile said the chador was “a perfect disguise for terrorists, as it conceals both weapons and explosives.”
The Christian Democrat politician fueled the furor further today, telling local television: “It’s only extremists who wear the chador.”
Nile’s proposed ban was instantly condemned by religious leaders, unions and politicians. Writers to newspapers asked why he had not extended it to the garb of Catholic nuns.
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