The burqa has been a garment of controversy in Australia, with calls to ban it from being worn in public -- most notably a suggestion of banning it in the Canberra Parliament.

A new research report published by the Centre for Independent Studies examines two of the key arguments about banning the burqa and investigates how best to strike the balance between individual rights and state responsibilities.

In No Ordinary Garment? The Burqa and the Pursuit of Tolerance,  CIS Research Fellow Peter Kurti outlines that there must be very sound reasons -- both moral and legal -- for refusing a person the freedom to manifest their religious belief as and how they wish.