Prime Minister Tony Blair has backed Jack Straw over his decision to raise the issue of Muslim women who veil their faces.
While he said the wearing of the veil was a personal choice, the Prime Minister said it was "perfectly sensible" to discuss the matter in the context of breaking down barriers between communities.
His Cabinet colleague, Mr Straw, found himself at the centre of controversy after he described the veil as "a visible statement of separation and of difference" between Muslim and non-Muslim communities.
While many Muslims reacted angrily to the intervention by the Leader of the Commons, there has also been widespread backing for the way he raised such a controversial issue.
Mr Blair said: "I don't think anyone is suggesting it's not a matter of personal choice in the end, for people to do what they want.
"But actually what Jack Straw was saying was perfectly sensible, which is that if we want to break down the barriers between people and between different cultures and religions, then it is important these issues are raised and discussed.
"I see nothing wrong with that and I think it is perfectly sensible if you raise it in a measured and considered way to have a proper public discussion about it," he told BBC Breakfast.
Mr Blair acknowledged that people felt very strongly about the issue, and said it was about ensuring people integrated and did not separate themselves out from the mainstream of society.
"It's a difficult, tricky debate to enter into, as we can see over the past few days, but he raised it in a very sensible and measured way," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott on Monday said Mr Straw had been right to raise the issue, insisting it should not be a "no-go area for debate", but he also voiced concern that it could lead to "considerable difficulties" in terms of community relations.
Second minister enters veils row
Communities and Local Government Minister Phil Woolas has become the second minister to join the debate over Muslim women who veil their faces.
Wearing veils could provoke "fear and resentment" and play into the hands of far-right activists, he warned.
In an article for the Sunday Mirror, he urged Muslims to be aware of the views of non-Muslims.
His words follow Jack Straw's call for Muslim women to take off veils at his Blackburn constituency surgery.
'Fear and resentment'
"It can be hard to tell whether women wear the veil as an expression of their faith or because they are compelled to do so," Mr Woolas said.
"Most British-born Muslims who wear it, do so as an assertion of their identity and religion. This can create fear and resentment among non-Muslims and lead to discrimination.
"Muslims then become even more determined to assert their identity, and so it becomes a vicious circle where the only beneficiaries are racists like the BNP," he said.
Some Muslim women called Mr Straw's remarks insulting, but other Muslims said they understood his concerns.
Mr Straw has dismissed suggestions that his remarks are designed to raise his profile ahead of Labour's deputy leadership election.
Rushdie declares 'veils suck'
The row over Muslim women's dress codes reignited today after author Salman Rushdie declared that "veils suck".
Rushdie, whose book The Satanic Verses triggered death threats from Islamic clerics, gave his full backing to Leader of the Commons Jack Straw for raising the issue.
Amis condemns Muslim extremists as 'miserable bastards'
Martin Amis has launched an attack on "miserable bastards" in the British Muslim community, accusing them of trying to destroy multicultural society by failing to "fit in" with other faiths.
Race chief backs Straw on veils
Jack Straw was "completely right" to raise the debate about Muslim women wearing veils, Commission for Racial Equality chief Trevor Phillips says.
Mr Straw had the right to ask a woman to remove her veil at constituency meetings, and the woman had the right to refuse, Mr Phillips told MPs.
His remarks prompted much debate and was criticised by some Muslim groups.
"This is not a matter of public policy, it's a question of social etiquette and manners," Mr Phillips said.
Mr Straw, whose Blackburn constituency is about 30% Muslim, said he thought community relations were not improved by women wearing veils covering their faces, as they were "a visible statement of separation".
He said he now asked women to remove full-face veils when they come to meet him at his regular constituency surgery.
Mr Phillips said: "I think it's perfectly reasonable for him to say 'would you mind not making me feel uncomfortable' in this particular case - as long as it's understood the answer to that can be 'no'."
"Whether there should be social pressure to make the wearing of the veil unacceptable is, in my view, a separate question to that," he told the House of Commons Education and Skills Committee.
Veils in schools
"I go with those that say this has also got to be a matter for negotiation - it can't be prescriptive. You can't tell people what to wear."
Both Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown have backed Mr Straw for raising the debate. But the Islamic Human Rights Commission said he was selectively discriminating.
Mr Phillips was also asked about whether full-face veils should be allowed in the classroom, where face to face communication was important.
He told MPs it was not a decision that should be left to the teacher.
"If that's raised it should be as a matter of school policy," he said.
"If I were the head teacher in that school, I would probably say that veils should not be worn in the classroom."
UK minister backs university ban on Muslim veils.
A British education minister said on Wednesday he backed universities that banned Islamic students from wearing veils, becoming the latest senior figure to step into a high profile row that has enraged some Muslim groups.
Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell said many teachers felt “uncomfortable” teaching students who wore a full veil and said he supported London’s Imperial College which had banned students wearing any garment that covered the face.
“Imperial College recently banned the face veil and I think that this is arguably the best decision,” Rammell told the London Evening Standard.
“I’m not dictating hard and fast rules, as dress codes are a matter for university authorities.”
No comments:
Post a Comment