Pluralist society’s veil of hypocrisy

THE former British Foreign secretary and current leader of the House of Commons, Jack Straw, has suggested that Muslim women who wear the veil risk provoking a climate of fear and resentment that plays into the hands of the extreme right.

So, to appease them, are Muslim women to forgo the public expression of their culture and religious beliefs? Those who don’t understand Muslim culture might find the veil “frightening and intimidating”, Mr Straw added.

Surely that is their own problem and the way forward is to educate such people away from their ignorant prejudices. Both Straw and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, say they believe that removing the veil should not be compulsory, but it is clear they are preparing public opinion for the day when it will.