BAN the BURKA and make people show their faces

[Piling]

lol, a masked person in France could not enter in a shop, even with only a moto helmet.

Currently, only rioters hide their face in France, now, in protests.

[Anthea]

lol, a masked person in France could not enter in a shop, even with only a moto helmet.

Currently, only rioters hide their face in France, now, in protests.

We have had several such robberies in the UK

Many people (male and female) wearing Burkas are shop-lifters

Now, with the added threat of terrorism in the UK, it is imperative burkas are banned

[Anthea]

Austria to ban full-face veil in public places


Several European countries have imposed a full-face veil ban and others are considering it

Austria's ruling coalition has agreed to prohibit full-face veils in public spaces such as courts and schools.

It is also considering a more general ban on state employees wearing the headscarf and other religious symbols.

The measures are seen as an attempt to counter the rise of the far-right Freedom Party, whose candidate narrowly lost last month's presidential vote.

The centrist coalition nearly collapsed last week amid crisis negotiations over the government's future direction.

'Symbolic' step

Detailing the package of reforms, the coalition devoted just two lines to the planned ban on the Islamic niqab and burqa.

"We are committed to an open society, which also presupposes open communication. A full-face veil in public places stands in its way and will therefore be banned," it said.

An estimated 150 women wear the full niqab in Austria but tourism officials have expressed fears that the measures will also deter visitors from the Gulf.

One government spokesman told an Austrian newspaper that the ban would apply for ski resorts such as Zell am See as much as the centre of Vienna.

Several European countries have imposed similar bans but the Austrian move is, according to the vice chancellor a "symbolic" step.

Integration Minister Sebastian Kurz said it was important to be seen to be neutral, especially for anyone dealing with the public in the police or schools.

France and Belgium introduced a burqa ban in 2011 and a similar measure is currently going through the Dutch parliament.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said last month that the full-face veil should be prohibited in Germany "wherever it is legally possible". The UK does not ban the niqab or burqa.

Further measures agreed by Austria's Social Democrats and their conservative People's party partners include electronic tagging of former jihadists and a proposed curb on foreign workers.

Many of the plans must be hammered out in detail and receive parliamentary approval before they can come into force, BBC Vienna correspondent Bethany Bell reports.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38808495

[Anthea]

UK citizenship tests:
Gangs help cheating candidates pass

Gangs are helping foreign nationals cheat their UK citizenship application test with the use of earpieces, a BBC investigation has revealed

For a fee of up to £2,000, criminals secretly listen in and, via a hidden earpiece, give the answers to those taking the Life in the UK test.

Such an operation was secretly filmed by a BBC journalist, who was given help to pass.

The test is failed by about one in five would-be British citizens.

The Home Office said it took any cheating "extremely seriously".

A pass in the test, which assesses candidates' knowledge of UK laws, history and society, is usually required as part of the process to secure UK citizenship or indefinite leave to remain.

The number of applications for citizenship made by EU nationals rose by 32% last year and the BBC heard some were paying criminals to cheat the Life in the UK test, as anxiety grows over citizenship rights post-Brexit.

One woman, an EU national, told the BBC she decided to cheat after failing first time around, saying she "felt so much panic" about her situation.

Over the past year, nearly 150,000 people have sat the test, which consists of 24 multiple-choice questions.

The test, which is taken on a computer and has a pass mark of at least 18 correct answers, is supposed to be held under strict exam conditions.

Administration of the tests is outsourced by the government. There are 36 testing centres in the UK.

BBC researchers were able to access organised cheating when they went undercover at training academies in and around London, where candidates take classes to prepare for the test.

Masoud Abul Raza runs the Ideal Learning Academy in east London.

He was filmed telling an undercover researcher that he could guarantee a pass.

"You have to spend nearly £2,000. This is the business, it's completely hidden. But you are getting a result," he said.

Mr Abul Raza and his gang later provided the undercover researcher with a hidden two-way earpiece, linked wirelessly through a Bluetooth connection to a concealed mobile phone with an open line. This meant the gang outside could hear the audio feed of the test questions and provide the answers.

"Everything will be arranged. He will give you the answer," Mr Abul Raza told the undercover journalist.

Tony Smith, the former director general of the UK Border Force, was shown the secretly recorded footage and described it as "clear and blatant cheating by an organised crime gang".

"One would hope that the standards will change significantly so that the public can be assured that people going through this process are genuinely entitled to stay in this country," he said.

The Home Office said test centres were required to put in place stringent measures to prevent cheating, including searches of candidates to ensure no electronic devices enter the test room.

"Unannounced visits" are also carried out to audit these processes.

But the BBC's undercover researcher was not searched or told to hand over all electronic devices.

He sat the test, giving the answers provided to him, and within minutes of it ending he had received the pass certificate required to apply for citizenship and a UK passport.

Despite being caught on camera, Mr Abul Raza denied cheating, maintaining he only organises legitimate training.

However, he is not the only one profiting from cheating the system.

The BBC heard reports of other training academies doing the same thing, with the same method of cheating having been used at testing centres around the UK.

At the English Language Training Academy (ELTA) in east London, Ashraf Rahman told the BBC's undercover researcher that he had arranged cheating in Birmingham and Manchester, as well as London.

"I've been here for five years and no-one gets caught," he said.

Mr Rahman later denied he arranged cheating, claiming he was just discussing what others did.

ELTA denied cheating took place on its premises and said Mr Rahman was not an employee.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-47047719

Cheating go on all the time especially with those wearing burkas

[Anthea]

Learner driver hides Bluetooth
under hijab to cheat on theory

Hatice Sadir, 41, was fed the right answers by a 'facilitator' she planned to pay £300 but officials questioned her after the exam when they found the concealed device

The Turkish mother of three was caught out at the Southwark Theory Test Centre on January 9 last year, prosecutor Rajesh Pabary told City of London Magistrates' Court.

'A bluetooth receiver was found in her possession used for the purposes of fraud related to a driving theory test,' he said.

'One has to book a theory test on a specific date at the test centre and provide personal details such as email address, date of birth and address.

'During the course of booking, a voice over can be booked in English or Welsh - if a person has difficulty reading they can request a voiceover.

'They are given a set of headphones when they arrive at the centre and the questions are read aloud. The person attending is not allowed assistance during the test.'

Hatice Sadir admitted fraud at City of London Magistrates' Court after she had answers to the theory test fed to her

Sadir hid a bluetooth device under her headscarf to cheat on the exam at Southwark Theory Test Centre in south London

Ipswich Crown Court heard told how Kewstan Abdulqadir, 29, smuggled a phone into the test centre and paid a man between £250 and £300 to stand outside and secretly relay answers to test questions to her phone via Bluetooth.

Abdulqadir, of Nicholson Close, Ipswich, admitted possessing a device for the use of fraud.

She got a 12 month prison sentence, suspended for two years, a 13 week curfew and 150 hours unpaid work. She was also ordered to pay £210 costs.

An earlier hearing at Suffolk Magistrates’ Court heard that on September 14, 2017, she was due to take a driving theory exam at Ipswich test centre after having failed several previous tests.

At the centre, she signed an agreement to take the test fairly and to turn off any electronic devices, placing them in a locker provided.

She was asked to turn out her pockets and an examiner looked inside her headwear to check for any device.

The court heard that, inside the test room, she was seen on CCTV taking out a small object from inside her dress and appeared to connect it to the

Challenged by examiners, she admitted using the device to help with the test.

Interviewed by police, she said she had failed her previous attempts and needed to pass so that she could take her two children to nursery.

She admitted buying a phone especially for the cheating plan.

Kashif Khan, prosecuting, said the crime was ‘sophisticated’ with a lot of forethought and planning.

Had she passed the test and driven when she had not reached the required standard, she would have put other road users’ lives at risk.

After several cancellations Sadir's theory test was scheduled at Southwark for 9 January 2018 and a 'voice over' was requested.

'When she attended the centre she was wearing a big head scarf,' said Mr Pabary. 'She was recognised by a member of staff from two weeks before - on the previous occasion she was not wearing a headscarf.

How do Bluetooth cheats beat the driving theory test?

The driving theory test has two parts, the first of which involves a series of multiple choice questions about the Highway Code.

For example: You've been involved in an argument that has made you feel angry. What should you do before starting your journey?

Open a window
Turn on your radio
Have an alcoholic drink
Calm down

Other questions give you examples of common signs or road markings you might encounter while driving, or they may provide you with scenarios and ask you how you should react.

For the scam, the cheater has to use tiny Bluetooth earpieces linked to a hidden mobile phone. They can then hear someone from outside the test centre telling them information to help them pass the test.

The Bluetooth devices are generally hidden in glasses, headbands and hair-clips as they can be positioned over the ears with ease.

Test takers don't usually wear headphones, but you are allowed to request them to complete the test with a voiceover if you have reading difficulties, so in some cases cheaters will use these to hide their Bluetooth device.

'This, coupled with the fact that she spoke very little English, aroused suspicion. She answered the questions very fast and the test was successfully passed.'

After the test Sadir was confronted by staff, who searched her headscarf and found the Bluetooth device, City of London Magistrates' court heard.

Mr Pabary explained that the bluetooth receiver connected her phone to a 'facilitator who overhears the questions being read and then provides the answers. The usual fee for this type of service is between £400 and £800.'

Sadir admitted using the device to cheat on the test, but refused to reveal the identity of the facilitator.

'She admitted she was provided a specifically adapted scarf and was going to pay £300 for the service,' said Mr Pabary.

'The test was booked some distance away from where she resided - this is usually done to avoid detection.

'This offence deals with potential risk. Ms Sadir could have obtained a full UK driving licence.

'If the device had not been found she would have gone on to take and potentially pass a practical test.

'There is a risk to other road users from someone who does not understand the rules and regulations of the road.

'It undermines the integrity of the test - people who use the UK roads expect to share the road with competent drivers.

Magistrate Jacqueline Jenkins told Sadir: 'We see this as a serious matter and one that has passed the custody threshold.

'However, since you pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, we will suspend the sentence for 12 months.'

Sadir, of Kidbrooke, southeast London, admitted fraud and was sentenced to 20 weeks jail suspended for 12 months. She was also ordered to pay £2,115 in costs.
'Alarming' cheaters are tying to beat the driving theory test by getting crooks to feed them answers through hidden Bluetooth earpieces

By Dianne Apen-Sadler For MailOnline

A driving theory test scam that involves cheaters using hidden Bluetooth headsets so they can be 'fed' answers has been slammed by a court after a kebab chef admitted cheating using the scam twice.

Turkish national Isa Yazgi, 23, admitted cheating in his theory test on two separate occasions at the North Staffordshire Justice Centre.

Yazgi was caught by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) using a Bluetooth device linked to a mobile phone to get the answers.

Turkish national Isa Yazgi, 23, admitted cheating in his driving theory test on two separate occasions by using Bluetooth headphones such as these (stock photo) to be fed the answers

His defending solicitor said the scam was set up by Turkish fraudsters in London, who Yazgi had agreed to pay £1,000 if he passed. Yazgi - who owns a Turkish driving licence but was after a UK one - admitted two charges of possessing or controlling an article for use in fraud.

The takeaway chef narrowly avoided jail and instead was slapped with 12-month community order and 180 hours unpaid work.

Yazgi, of Cobridge, Staffordshire, must also pay £185 court costs and an £85 victim surcharge.

The Bluetooth earpieces recommended by the London crooks can be very small and generally go undetected. Yazgi said that he was advised by 'his Turkish community' that the 'best way to pass his theory was to arrange a Bluetooth cheat'.

The court heard another man that he knew had arranged with the London fraudsters for them both to cheat in the test.

He said he had not been able to get a mobile phone connection during the Chatham test, and therefore subsequently failed.

In 2016 the DVSA has investigated 467 cases of fraud using wireless technology - a rise of 52 per cent from 308 in 2015.

Since 2016, 50 people have been handed prison sentences for fraud during their theory test

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... hijab.html

[Piling]

Women can drive with a burka ? lol, it would justify the French sexist saying : "Femme au volant, mort au tournant."

[Anthea]

[Anthea]

Switzerland referendum

Voters support ban on face coverings in public



Posters promoted by the Swiss People's Party featured a woman in a black niqab and captions such as "Stop extremism!" and "Stop radical Islam!"

Switzerland has narrowly voted in favour of banning face coverings in public, including the burka or niqab worn by Muslim women.

Official results showed the measure had passed by 51.2% to 48.8% in Sunday's referendum.

The proposal was put forward by the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) which campaigned with slogans such as "Stop extremism".

A leading Swiss Islamic group said it was "a dark day" for Muslims.

"Today's decision opens old wounds, further expands the principle of legal inequality, and sends a clear signal of exclusion to the Muslim minority," the Central Council of Muslims said in a statement, adding that it would challenge the decision in court.

The Swiss government had argued against the ban saying it was not up to the state to dictate what women wear.

According to research by the University of Lucerne (in German), almost no-one in Switzerland wears a burka and only around 30 women wear the niqab. About 5% of Switzerland's population of 8.6 million people are Muslim, most originating from Turkey, Bosnia and Kosovo.



Swiss people are given a direct say in their own affairs under the country's system of direct democracy. They are regularly invited to vote on various issues in national or regional referendums.

It is not the first time Islam has figured in a Swiss referendum. In 2009 citizens went against government advice and voted to ban the building of minarets - a proposal also put forward by the SVP which said minarets were a sign of Islamisation.

The proposal in Sunday's referendum did not mention Islam directly and was also aimed at stopping violent street protesters from wearing masks. However, the vote was widely referred to as "the burka ban".

The latest proposal predated the coronavirus pandemic, which has meant all Swiss adults having to wear masks in many settings.

Swiss voters give face covering ban a 'jein'

Was today's vote about all face coverings, from niqabs and burkas to the scarves rioters sometimes pull over their faces?

That's what the Yes campaigners from the Swiss People's Party insisted - but their posters and literature said otherwise, showing threatening looking women in black niqabs, and warning of Islamic extremism.

So does the result mean the Swiss are becoming more extreme? Are they Islamophobic?

Perhaps not. In the end, the ban only just squeaked through. In the past the Swiss People's Party has had much bigger majorities for its populist initiatives, often aimed at restricting asylum and immigration.

It successfully pushed through a ban on minarets in 2009 with a similar campaign to this one. But the debate around face coverings touched all sorts of different nerves. Many Swiss feminists view the burka and niqab as oppressive to women but they also oppose laws telling women what they can and cannot wear.

When it came to voting they were torn. A regular answer from women asked whether they would support the ban was "Jein", a cross between "Ja" (yes) and "Nein" (no). Today's close vote in Switzerland was probably very much a "Jein" as well.

"So many Muslims in Switzerland will feel insulted and not part of this society, and pushed into a corner where they don't belong. We don't look like these women in the pictures, we just don't," she said.

However, others in the Muslim community supported the ban

Imam Mustafa Memeti, from the city of Bern, told the BBC he thought the motivation behind the campaign was "probably Islamophobic". But he said he supported the ban anyway because it could help to emancipate Muslim women in Switzerland.

Ahead of the vote, Walter Wobmann, chairman of the referendum committee and an SVP lawmaker, described Muslim face coverings as "a symbol for this extreme, political Islam which has become increasingly prominent in Europe and which has no place in Switzerland".

"In Switzerland our tradition is that you show your face. That is a sign of our basic freedoms," he said.

Amnesty International spoke out against the proposed ban, calling it "a dangerous policy that violates women's rights, including to freedom of expression and religion".

The wearing of Islamic veils in public has been a controversial topic in other European countries. France banned wearing a full face veil in public in 2011 while the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria and Bulgaria have put in place full or partial bans on wearing face coverings in public.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56314173

[Anthea]

Rejecting girls wearing abayas

Nearly 300 girls defied a prohibition on the Muslim garment by arriving at school Monday morning wearing an abaya

According to a government minister, on the first day of the school year, French schools sent dozens of girls home for refusing to take off their abayas - full-body garments worn by some Muslim women.

Nearly 300 girls defied a prohibition on the Muslim garment by arriving at school Monday morning wearing an abaya, according to French Education Minister Gabriel Attal, who spoke to the BFM broadcaster.

Attal claimed that 67 were refused and were sent home.

Attal announced last month that the government would move forward with a ban on abaya dresses in schools, citing the country's secular principles.

Attal said that secularism is not a restriction, but rather a freedom that allows people to form their own opinions and emancipate themselves through education.

The political right applauded the action, but the hard left claimed it violated civil liberties.

According to Attal, a letter stating that "secularism is not a constraint, it is a liberty" was sent to the girls whose admittance was denied to their families.

The minister stated that there would be a "new dialogue" if they returned to school wearing the attire.

Late Monday, President Emmanuel Macron claimed there was a "minority" in France who "hijack a religion and challenge the republic and secularism", leading to the "worst consequences".

An organization that represents Muslims has requested an injunction against prohibiting the abaya and the qamis, its male equivalent clothing, with the State Council, France's highest court for complaints against state officials.

Later on Tuesday, the motion from Action for the Rights of Muslims (ADM) will be reviewed.

The government banned any religious symbols from being worn by students in public schools in 2004, including the Hijab, the Muslim headscarf

Islamophobia in France and across the EU has always been a recurring issue. Lately, the matter has been exacerbated, in great part due to the energy crisis and the cost-of-living crisis, which many right-wing advocates attribute to migrants as being economic burdens.

In late June, France's top administrative court ruled against a collective of Muslim female soccer players in their case against the French Football Federation (FFF), imposing a ban on the Islamic headscarf, or Hijab, during sports games.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... -in-france

Religious symbols cause racism and segregation, children must be able to mix freely because if they do not mix freely as children they become totally segregated as adults

I have seen this happen in the UK especially to Muslim ladies who face more suppression within their families and communities than they did have in their countries of origin