Straw blamed for 'racist' backlash

[milmor_1]

This article has to go into the politics forum. It has become a political "Hot Potato". The Islamic community are attacking everything now that is said be it constructive or otherwise. It would appear that they want everything their own way within their belief system.

What will happen when some Islamic representative asks that a crucifix be taken off? Nothing. It will probably be taken off to avoid inflaming religious dispute.

Independent Online Edition > UK Politics

By Marie Woolf, Francis Elliott and Lauren Veevers
Published: 08 October 2006

Jack Straw was last night looking increasingly isolated over his disclosure that he would prefer Muslim women not to wear the veil, as Cabinet colleagues publicly distanced themselves from his remarks.

Ruth Kelly, the Communities Secretary, said she saw wearing the veil as a " personal choice" and would not ask a woman who sought her advice to remove it.

Peter Hain, the Northern Ireland Secretary, who is expected to run against Mr Straw to become deputy leader of the Labour Party, said that women should be entitled to wear the veil if they chose.

"I believe that women, like everybody else, are entitled to dress as they choose to dress," he said on BBC Radio 4's Any Questions.

Mr Straw's condemnation of the veil worn by some Muslim women as a " statement of separation and difference" has caused intense controversy since he raised the issue on Thursday. The Leader of the House of Commons disclosed that he asked Muslim women attending his advice surgery to remove their veils.

But yesterday he was accused by a fellow Labour MP of unleashing a racist backlash against Britain's Muslims.

The first sign of a racist reaction came in Liverpool on Friday when a man snatched a veil from a 49-year-old woman's face after shouting racist abuse. Yesterday, protesters took to the streets of Mr Straw's Blackburn constituency to vent their anger.

The protest was told that a young Muslim girl wearing a veil in Blackburn was confronted by three youths on Friday night. One threw a newspaper at her and shouted: "Jack has told you to take off your veil."

Shahid Malik, Labour MP for Dewsbury, said the country's Muslims were braced for further attacks in a deteriorating climate of fear and suspicion.

"I think Jack may have unleashed forces more negative and corrosive than he anticipated," said Mr Malik. "I think there is a growing feeling among Muslims in Britain that something has got to give. They are genuinely fearful of attack."

The Race Relations minister Phil Woolas claimed Mr Straw's comments had provoked a backlash. The Oldham MP said that Muslims in his constituency had received phone calls from relatives asking if they were safe in Britain, following the extensive news coverage of the issue.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission called for unity in Britain, but the chairman Massoud Shadjareh, said Mr Straw should not let clothing " become a hurdle for discussion".

[Snowden]

The insanity that comes with people of such intensity is amazing. Any excuse will do - anything at all.

[milmor_1]

Blair backs Straw in Muslim veil row - Yahoo! News UK

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tony Blair backed his former foreign secretary on Tuesday after Jack Straw said Muslim women who wore full veils made community relations more difficult.

In an interview, Blair said Straw had raised an important issue in a "sensible and measured way".

Author Salman Rushdie, who lived in hiding for years because his book "The

Satanic Verses" prompted a 1989 Iranian fatwa, said Straw was "expressing an important opinion which is that veils suck, which they do."
"I think the veil is a way of taking power away from women," Rushdie told BBC Radio. "I think the battle against the veil has been a long and continuing battle against the limitation of women."

Last week Straw said he would prefer women did not wear full veils because they acted as "a visible statement of separation and difference". He said he now asks veiled women if they will show their faces in the presence of female staff.

The government has warned of increasing alienation and radicalisation among the country's 1.8 million Muslims. It is seeking to improve integration in the wake of last year's suicide bomb attacks by British Islamists which killed 52 in London.

PERSONAL CHOICE

Blair did not directly respond to a BBC television interviewer who asked if he too preferred women to remove their veils when speaking to him.

"I think it is, in the end, it's a matter of them choosing what they want to do," Blair said.

"But I think the reason why Jack raised it is these are issues that people do feel quite strongly about. How do we make sure that people aren't trying to separate themselves from the mainstream of society?

"So it's a difficult and tricky debate to enter into as we can see over the past few days, but actually I think he's raised it in a sensible and measured way."

Straw's comments triggered anger from Muslim groups and were applauded by right-wing newspapers. Other members of Blair's cabinet have said they would not ask women to lift their veils.

Unlike some other European countries -- such as officially secular France which limits the wearing of traditional headscarves in schools -- Britain generally does not place restrictions on Islamic dress.

Straw stayed in the cabinet as leader of the Commons after he was removed as foreign secretary earlier this year.

[Chrisj]

Sadly it appears to be becoming the case where any discussion of the Islamic faith and the actions of Muslims is a taboo subject. A few months ago there was the debate regarding hoodies and the teenagers who wore them, the concern as to identifying them if they were involved in any illegal activities was raised and some shopping centres banned them. Can you imagine the outcry if in the wake of the growing terrorist threat Muslim women were required to remove their veils before entering certain establishments.

Many petrol stations, banks post offices etc have a ban on people wearing motorcycle helmets, hats which obscure facial features or any other clothing which may hamper identification. The wearing of the veil gives the impression the wearer has something to hide and can cause problems. On a recent tour to the continent another coach which was traveling in our party was stopped by immigration officials who asked a Muslim woman to remove her veil for identification purposes. She refused so the coach was emptied whilst she was taken in to a room, this led to the coach missing the ferry and all its passengers having to wait for the next one.

The desire of the radical Muslims to close down any debate about their religion or their place in the wider community is manna from heaven for the far right. The BNP have become an increasingly visible presence in local council elections and have a small number of councilors on local councils especially where the white population feel under threat. I feel it is now a case of not if but when the far right begin to gain more influence on local councils and possibly representation in parliament the more militant Muslim population will be to blame for stifling debate by the now common cry of racism.