Tim Farron MP
Reform’s newest MP, Sarah Pochin, recently asked the Prime Minister in the House of Commons whether he would ban the burqa in public places, as is the case in France and Denmark. Keir Starmer replied that he was “not going to follow her down that line.”
The burqa of course is a form of dress worn by some Muslim women, which covers the whole body including the face. The question sparked a row within Reform itself. The party chairman (temporarily) resigned over the matter, and other politicians weighed in for good measure. As with almost every issue, this is all more nuanced than the headlines suggest. For some people, it is a women’s rights issue: we shouldn’t permit the forcing of women to hide themselves at the behest of their husbands.
Others believe it’s a threat to public safety to allow people to walk around in public with their faces covered. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she would not allow constituents to attend her surgeries wearing any kind of face covering. Many others – including myself – are concerned that banning the burqa would be detrimental to freedom of expression. And this would have implications for those of us seeking to express the Christian faith as well. We have already seen cases where Christians have been forbidden to wear crosses in the workplace for example.
We should be careful not to take on the mantle of wounded martyrs if we face antagonism for our faith. Remember that Jesus told us to turn the other cheek and James told us to consider it “pure joy” when we face “trials of many kinds”.
But Christians should absolutely speak up for the right to live in a society that respects our religious freedoms. This doesn’t mean a return to blasphemy laws. But it does mean fighting for the rights of others as well as our own. It’s easy to defend the rights of those we agree with, but much harder to speak up for those with different beliefs.
I want there to be freedom to criticise Islam, I want Muslims to have the freedom to criticise Christianity and I want people to be free to wear what they choose.
But this debate about burqas goes deeper than these concerns. It’s being used as a proxy for wider alarm about the perceived ‘erasure’ of British identity and culture, and the toleration of beliefs that do not tolerate ours. Richard Tice, another Reform MP, said it was appropriate to have a discussion on the wearing of burqas in a “nation that’s founded on Christianity”. In some quarters there is concern that Islam is a threat to the UK, amidst fears – real or imaginary – around integration of different communities.
Another argument, around the pre-stunning of animals before slaughter for meat – was recently discussed in Parliament, in response to a public petition that had received more than 100,000 signatures. Although ostensibly about animal welfare, it quickly became clear that many MPs viewed the issue as a proxy for those opposed to religious slaughter methods for kosher and halal practices.
Some MPs spoke of our Christian heritage and linked it to people not wanting to eat meat that had been slaughtered in line with Jewish and Muslim religious laws or claimed that animals were allowed to be tortured for fear of upsetting religious minorities. Some pointed out the importance of religious freedom and the right for faith communities to eat meat prepared in accordance with their beliefs, which is the government line. Other MPs were clear that they believed this debate was not about the slaughter of animals at all, but about the singling out of certain faith communities and promoting anti Muslim or Jewish sentiment.
These debates might be viewed as additional fronts in the culture wars. They certainly reflect the general feeling of gloom, despair and general fractiousness. The news constantly tells us about wars, the shifting of global political alliances, economic concerns at home, the fraying of social cohesion, and deepening poverty. We’re desperate to find reasons for what is happening, and we are inclined to panic.
This fear is stoked by the media; take for example the piece in the Telegraph the other week by Conservative MP Neil O’Brien, headlined (not by him), “Britain is heading for utter oblivion”. The article cites mass migration and social change as two factors, as well as the lack of a “strong, confident, unifying national culture”. Perhaps these are serious issues, but ‘utter oblivion’…?
But Christians have a better story to tell, a joyful one with no need for such woe or hysteria… we have a wonderful truth to share. It’s just not appropriate for us to get bogged down in panic and fear. Christians are called to be distinct from the world but also to immerse ourselves in it. We are to be the salt that infuses society, the light that shines in dark places, the yeast that works its way through the dough. And in the words of John Stott, “the gospel which changes people also changes cultures”.
Our weapons are the power of prayer, the transformative message of the gospel and the pursuit of justice and grace in our politics and communities. Our story is one of hope and anticipation. Let’s remember that “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5).
Writing in Christianity Today magazine, American theologian Russell Moore reminds us that the voice of the shepherd Jesus “does not create panic. It destroys it.”
You see, we can choose not to succumb to the catastrophising and fear around us, but instead to put our hope in Christ. Jesus stands before us as he stood before Peter and asks: ’Who do you say that I am?’
And, says Moore, “only when we keep that question in mind can we look down and see the solid rock on which we stand— and recognize that this is no place for panic.”
Tim Farron, MP, is author of A Mucky Business:
Why Christians should get involved in politics.
