Straw: I'd rather no one wore veils with women

The row over whether Muslim women should wear veils today intensified when Jack Straw said he would rather they were not worn at all.

Mr Straw, the leader of the Commons, insisted he did not want to be "prescriptive" of Muslim women's dress, but said the increasing trend towards covering facial features was "bound to make better, positive relations between the two communities more difficult".

The row ignited yesterday after the Blackburn MP said he had made clear to women wearing the niqab (full veil) at constituency surgeries that he would prefer them to remove the facial garment because face to face conversations were of "greater value".

But the Lancashire Council of Mosques said he had "misunderstood" the issue and it was "deeply concerned" by his "very insensitive and unwise" statement.

"For such a seasoned and astute politician to make such a comment that has shocked his Muslim constituents seems ill-judged and misconceived," a spokesman said. "Many of these women find Mr Straw's comments both offensive and disturbing."

In an article for his local paper, Mr Straw yesterday revealed that no one had refused his request, and most "seemed relieved".

Asked today whether he would rather the veils be discarded completely, he said: "Yes. It needs to be made clear I am not talking about being prescriptive but, with all the caveats, yes, I would rather."

He said he was concerned about the development of "parallel communities" in which different religious groups did not mix.

"You cannot force people ... where they live, that's a matter of choice and economics, but you can be concerned about the implications of separateness and I am," he told the BBC's Today programme.

Mr Straw later told GMTV: "It is about personal choice, and I think it's quite important that we should think about the implications, because seeing people's faces is fundamental to relationships between people.

"I've been struck by the discussions I've had with Muslim ladies - only a few, but it's an increasing, if low, trend - about why they wear the veil and about whether they've thought about implications for race or religious relations - it's their decision.

"Interestingly, the Muslim Council of Britain have made it clear there's great controversy among Muslim scholars about whether it is obligatory or not; you obviously have to respect all these schools of thought."

He said he "just thought it was quite important to put out on the table something which is there in any event".

Mr Straw insisted that he respected those who wore the veil and would never demand it was removed, but added that, in conversation, it was important to "not only hear what people say but see what they mean".

The Conservative policy director, Oliver Letwin, said it would be a "dangerous doctrine" to start telling people how to dress, while the Liberal Democrat party chairman, Simon Hughes, dubbed the remarks "insensitive and surprising".

The Islamic Human Rights Commission said Mr Straw was "selectively discriminating".

Rajnaara Akhtar, who chairs the Project Hijab organisation, said the MP had shown a "fundamental lack of understanding about why women wear the veil".

George Galloway, the Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, called on Mr Straw to resign, saying he was effectively asking women "to wear less".

However, Dr Daud Abdullah, of the Muslim Council of Britain, said he understood Mr Straw's views. "This [the veil] does cause some discomfort to non-Muslims. One can understand this," he said, adding that Muslim opinion was divided on the wearing of the veil.

Labour party colleagues, including the party chair, Hazel Blears, gave their backing to Mr Straw and said his request to constituents was "perfectly proper".

Downing Street said he was expressing a private opinion.

· Britain's Muslims are more than twice as likely to be unemployed than followers of other faiths and up to five times as likely to live in overcrowded housing, an Office of National Statistics survey revealed today.

It was the first time the ONS had analysed the country along its religious as well as ethnic lines.

Source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2006/oct/06/immigrationpolicy.religion