Britain’s niqab

As part of our Britain’s Niqab series, two women tell Channel 4 News their position on the niqab. Tune in tonight at 7pm to watch our live debate from east London.

British people are broadly opposed to the niqab – the full-face veil which shows only the wearer’s eyes – being worn in any public place, exclusive research for Channel 4 News reveals.

More than 700 fines have been issued to niqab-wearing women in France since the country banned public face coverings in 2011. How does it feel for law-abiding citizens suddenly to be criminalised?

A panel including writer Shalina Litt, activist Sahar Al-Faifi, writer Douglas Murray, Islam lecturer Khola Hasan, broadcaster Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and Fatima Barkatullah debate the niqab in Britain.

Two Muslim women explain what it is like wearing the niqab in the UK and describe the reactions they get from other members of the public to this expression of their faith.

For some, wearing Muslim headdress is an assertion of religious and cultural identity. For others, it is a symbol of female oppression. Darshna Soni explains the differences between headwear styles.

They are accused of threatening the British way of life, provoking a debate about integration. Why are an increasing number of young Muslim women covering their faces? Darshna Soni investigates.

Britain’s Niqab is a series of special Channel 4 News programmes looking at the controversies surrounding the wearing of the Niqab in modern Britain.