Two-thirds of Britons support Islamic burka ban

London, July 17 (ANI): More than two-thirds of Britons believe there should be a complete ban on wearing the burka across the country.

According to Sky News, seventy one per cent of people living in the north of England and Wales are in favour of prohibiting the burka and indicated that they would support such a move.

Those in London appeared to be most tolerant, with 32 per cent either disagreeing or strongly disagreeing on a ban, according to a Five News and YouGov poll.

Edinburg, the capital was Scotland, showed that 30 per cent of people did not agree with outlawing the Islamic traditional garment.

The chairman of the Muslim Educational Centre in Oxford is among many other British citizens who think that the face veil or 'burka' should be outlawed.

"We're not telling these women what they can wear. We're telling them the only thing they should do is uncover their faces, I think this notion that somehow this is a religious symbol, a Koranic requirement, is nonsense." Dr Taj Hargey said.

However, Amnesty International has said such moves "violate the rights to freedom of expression and religion".

Earlier, French President Nicolas Sarkozy had claimed that face veils "hurt the dignity of women".

The Five News/YouGov survey was based on total sample size of 2,205 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between July 14 and 16, 2010 and was carried out online.

The survey was conducted after French MPs voted in favour of a ban on wearing veils over the face - a move, which could make the Muslim burka illegal.

Belgium was the first country in Europe, which outlawed the burka in public places in April 2010. (ANI)