Hege Storhaug, HRS
Burkadebatten kommer tilbake i norsk offentlighet på et tidspunkt. Den må bare aktualiseres først gjennom en konkret hendelse. Nå som tre land i Europa, Belgia, Frankrike og Nederland, har forbudt ansiktstildekning, er tiden overmoden for at slike plagg også kommer på den politiske agendaen i eksempelvis Storbritannia som skal legge om integrerings- og innvandringspolitikken, og som få år tilbake har hatt sine spektakulære hendelser med menn som ikler seg burka og niqab for å unndra seg loven lange arm. Benazir Bhutto er altså ikke alene om å bruke burka til andre formål enn hva vi er vant med.
Plaggene utgjør utvilsomt en større og større sikkerhetsrisiko i Europa, ikke minst i disse terrortider, som vi så da en av terroristene i London 7. juli 2005, forsøkte å flykte iført burka. Et annet eksempel på hvordan ansiktsslør kan brukes av forbrytere, er da Englands mest ettersøkte morder, en mann av somalisk opprinnelse, flyktet fra landet iført niqab og søsterens pass etter å ha drept politibetjenter. Det siste burkastuntet skjedde nylig i Bradford, med en høy pakistansk befolkning. Der skal to menn ha utstyrt seg med burka, barnevogn og balltre, med mer.
Detectives are investigating an attempted robbery at a Bradford jewellery shop in which a pram containing a wooden bat and a hammer was uncovered.
Two suspects wearing burkas, believed to be men, entered Sidra Jewellers, in Duckworth Lane, with the pram, but fled when staff became suspicious and raised the alarm.
They made off in a silver Renault Clio with false number plates, which had been reported as stolen from the Daisy Hill area of the city in July and was later found abandoned.
The pair left behind the Mamas and Papas pram with a green and black houndstooth-patterned scarf tied to it. As well as the bat and hammer, the pram also contained a doll, a black, green, orange and white-coloured blanket, cable ties and Tickitape.
Two men were yesterday being quizzed by officers in custody about the incident, which occurred on Saturday at about 12.30pm.
Detective Inspector Mark Long, of Bradford South CID, said officers were keen for information on the Renault Clio and its possible whereabouts before the attempted robbery took place.
Police would also like to hear from people with information about the burkas, the pram and its contents, he added.
He said: “I’m keen to talk to anybody who has any information regarding those items. Nobody’s been hurt, but it’s clearly an attempted robbery and I am keen to bring the offenders to justice. We have officers in the area reassuring residents. Enquiries are ongoing.”
A police cordon was in place around the front of the shop on Saturday afternoon, while investigations were carried out inside.
Mohammad Ilyas, of next door Pakistan Jewellers, said he saw the suspects enter Sidra before fleeing the scene.
He said: “This kind of thing doesn’t happen around here very often. The police do a very good and thorough job.”