To ask how many times you have seen anyone wearing a niqab (full face veil revealing eyes) or burqa (full face veil with mesh cover for eyes)?

What's sad?

Burkha - never
Niqab - frequently.

But I was raised in areas with lots of muslims and live in diverse areas. I don’t care what a woman chooses to wear though.

I've only seen them a few times. I don't think we should ban them, it seems really intrusive to legislate clothing in that way. Why do people support a ban? I'm not muslim but some days I could quite fancy wearing one myself, imagine all the time and money you could save on hair and makeup!

Hardly at all and none in my town.

When I lived in Bradford, in the 90's it was daily.

Now live elsewhere very rarely.

Not normal for a lot of autistic people. I actually find the removal of facial expressions takes the pressure off! Relying on verbal language is much easier for me. I appreciate it's not an intended benefit but please don't assume everyone is the same.

Countless times in Tower Hamlets area of London

At my work we are being encouraged to have photos on our Teams profiles and told we must always have our cameras on for online meetings. Its for security, to ensure we are talking to the person we think we are, but also most people find it quite disconcerting talking to a blank screen when you're supposed to be having a meeting.
Its pretty normal for humans to find facial expressions helpful in building a rapport with someone and when communicating. I would hate to be treated in a medical setting by someone whose face I can't see.

Maybe not, but I am actually quite interested in the answer! I’ve never met a Pakistani woman wearing anything more covered than a hijab or scarf, but most Pakistani women I have met have been doctors in the UK, so probably not representative.

Niqab most days. Burqa very rarely - only a handful of times ever. East London.

I live in Leicester..fill Muslim attire is the norm here. My kids are the only white British in their school of 600 kids. The school is majority Hindu but id say 30% Muslim..90% of those mums wear the niquab or burkha. So every morning I see these mums..absolutely never been an issue. Seen them lift their veils at kids parties so they can enjoy a coffee etc. When I first moved here I thought I'd struggle to connect with them but I don't. They're human just like the rest of us

I don’t like them, but I wouldn’t suppprt banning them. It’s not for me to decide what women should wear!

Wow, me too! Did you never drive or walk around Great Horton or Manningham? To be honest, even the city centre. I went ice skating with DC last summer and saw a mum and 2 young children wearing them.

I live in Pakistan so maybe this isn’t really directed at me?

Born and lived in Bradford till recently, never seen one.

Only rarely and primarily in a diverse city in the north where my employer has an office.

I have lots of professional female Muslim friends who don't cover their heads at all unless visiting religious spaces etc or mingling with more conservative Muslim friends.

Its because visibility of one's face is hugely important in human groups. As I previously posted, I found the niqab very cumbersome in terms of clear communication when I lived in the Gulf. I have practical objections to it but dont want to ban it because banning clothing is an overreach. I couldnt care less about head coverings because they dont impact on communication.

I think the niqab is being brought into question more than hijab though. Hair coverage is totally normal and fine, see it every single day in Manchester but the niqab/burqa is a bit more extreme. As I said though, if the woman chooses this I don’t think it should be taken away. I don’t appreciate the state governing a woman’s body.

On the one occasion I was served by a lady wearing a niqab, as soon as I said I lipread, she took me into the pharmacy consulting room and removed it. There were other people present in there who would have been able to serve a male.

Still don't have a problem with women choosing to wear something despite all the posters that want to tell them what they can and cannot wear because they think it's not fair that they are allegedly told what they can and cannot wear.

Lots. Used to teach in Huddersfield and also worked in Keighley for a spell so saw a few there. Grew up in Bradford so saw a fair few there too. Actually saw children wearing them when I went back to Bradford last summer which surprised me. I’ve never seen children wear them before this and tbh most don’t wear the hijab till puberty. I now work in Manchester and don’t see as many but occasionally do.

I don’t know if you get out into big diverse cities much if you almost never see them really! They are relatively uncommon I suppose. I don’t know how I feel about banning them. I know some women choose to wear them and feel safer like that, I don’t like removing a woman’s choice. Yes yes some are forced but some also choose and prefer to wear one… I recommend the TV series We Are Lady Parts as a positive representation of Muslim women.

@InfoSecInTheCity I saw a man online who had posted a stance against women wearing the hijab, and people had trolled the comments with pictures of the Virgin Mary, it was wonderful.

Everyone does have the right to express their opinion. What we don’t have is the right to is to enforce our opinion on others. Given that most of the posts are about how awful it is that women are forced to wear these items they would surely agree that enforcing a different dress code would also be wrong?

Are you as strongly opposed to Jewish orthodox women covering their hair and wearing modest clothing from ankle to neck, or orthodox Christian women covering their hair and wearing modest clothing from ankle to neck? Or is it just when the religious clothing is linked to Islam that it becomes a concern?

The irony on Mumsnet is the anti islamic threads usually are pushing for the type of legislation/controls that would be more fitting of the countries that they are so fearful of. Controls on women's clothing, prisons as punishment not rehabilitation, the right for vigilante/eye for an eye justice etc. Some of the stuff spouted on here about how we should deal with asylum seekers or people in Burkhas would fit right in in UAE.

South London, see these women every day.

I strongly believe it should be banned, because same rules should apply to everyone. If we ban teens from wearing a baclava to enter school, same rule should apply to others.

More importantly, because they represent something that as a society we disagree with. We dont' make exception for cultural tattoos or piercing, and a whole lot of "cultural" customs.

I reckon I semi-regularly see people wearing an abaya + hijab, occasionally see a niqab and I don't think I have ever seen a woman wearing a burka including eye covering. Niqab is certainly infrequently enough that I notice it every time I see it, but not surprising enough to remember every occasion, if that makes sense. (Another East Anglian.)