Did Bronwyn Bishop’s stance on ‘burqas’ cost her a global role? - Women's Agenda

Did Bronwyn Bishop’s stance on ‘burqas’ cost her a global role?

Bronwyn Bishop has been defeated in her bid for global office, with speculation that her comments about niqabs (mistakenly referred to as burqas) may have cost her the chance.

The speaker of the House of Representatives has been running for a three-year presidency of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the international club of parliaments.

When Bishop nominated earlier in the year it seemed to be a done deal, and despite progressing to the second round of voting, her bid was defeated overnight, with representatives of the IPU electing Bangladesh MP and former political prisoner, Saber Hossain Chowdury with 169 votes. Bishop still placed second, with 95 votes

Speculation that Bishop’s plans to approve the segregation of women wearing niqabs while visiting Parliament House heavily impacted the voting — with three of her fellow candidates coming from Muslim countries.

The 125-year old union co-ordinates dialogue between parliamentarians from around the world and is dedicated to the promotion of democracy and human rights, and has only ever had one female president.

When she submitted her nomination letter in July, Bishop said the election of a female president would help to continue the work that IPU was doing to promote gender equality across the institution’s member states.

“As a woman and an egalitarian, I am proud to associate myself with the work the IPU is doing to increase gender equality across the institution’s member states,” Bishop wrote.

“If elected president of the IPU, I believe I would be in a strong position to continue the institution’s work in this area. 

The controversy that followed Bishop’s call for women wearing head coverings to sit in an enclosed area in Parliament house prompted the Australian Centre for Leadership for Women to publicly seek support for a woman’s freedom to wear what she wants. 

“We believe igniting national debate about Australian Muslim women’s choice of clothing promotes fear and contempt against Muslim women and, as such, is divisive in our unique multicultural society that values differences such as those based on ethnicity, religion, race and gender identities.

That this issue has been focused on against the backdrop of the Islamic State terrorism overseas is extremely troubling and negligent. It ignites community tension and escalates existing racism and violence against a group of Australian women in our society.

That it has targeted a silent and vulnerable group of Australian women and connected their uniquely attired presence in Parliament to notions of security and safety defies the very essence of freedoms under our democracy. Instituting a ban on the burqa, or segregation of women who wear it in Parliament has no legal precedent in parliamentary history and harms our reputation as a nation.

As members of a secular democracy, women’s dress code should be beyond the control of the state. All women living in Australia are entitled to live freely, without fear of political persecution because of their choice of dress.

We call on you, as Prime Minister and Minister for Women, to show moral leadership and publicly call for the valuing of ALL women in our society and reject all calls which limit the sovereignty of a woman’s right to choose.”
If you would like to support this petition which is endorsed by Joumanah El Matrah, the Executive Director of the Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights, register here.

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