Former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is currently under fire following a series of Islamophobic comments towards Muslim women.

The British politician expressed his views in a column titled "Denmark has got it wrong. Yes, the burka is oppressive and ridiculous – but that's still no reason to ban it," in reference to Denmark's recent ban on face veils.

In it, Johnson said Muslim women who wear full-face veils "look like letterboxes" and "bank robbers". He also called the "burka" oppressive.

Following an intense backlash, Prime Minister Theresa May asked Johnson to apologize, which he refused to do.

Backlash on social media soon followed

"An increase in hatred and violence against Muslim women"

"Dehumanizing"

"He knows what makes headlines"

"Sections of society will now feel empowered to insult Muslim women in public"

"Legitimizing a prejudice that results in Muslim women having their clothing pulled off on the streets"

"It is literal dehumanization to compare a person to an object, a thing"

"Disrespectful, divisive & ignorant"

"Muslims feel unwelcome"

"This represents a wider criminalisation of Muslim identities"

"A national embarrassment"

"More proof that Islamophobia exists in the Tory party"

Islamophobia within the UK's Conservative Party is a problem that has previously been addressed on numerous occasions.

Senior Muslim Tory Baroness Sayeeda Warsi confirmed the existing Islamophobic stance within the party earlier this year.

"I know within my own party there are almost now weekly occurrences of Islamophobic incidents and rhetoric," she said.

A number of members of the Conservative Party have used Islamophobic sentiment for their own political gain. In 2016, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) called for an urgent inquiry into Islamophobia within the political party.

"Just as the Labour Party is rightly conducting an inquiry into antisemitism, it is important for the Conservative Party to reflect upon the extent of Islamophobia in its own ranks. We should have zero tolerance for both antisemitism and Islamophobia," said Dr. Shuja Shafi, secretary general of the MCB.