Straw asks Muslims to remove veil

i said to her, by Allah, i will never take it off. even if it means i dont put a foot outside my house!! my dad, would probably agree with straw. - dont ask where they were gained their knowledge from. they were brought up in this country.
(not that im justifying)

alhamdolillah, @ least my husband would encourage me. even though he isnt religious, he will know whats right.

can i ask, what would happen if there was a ban, like in holland?

Parents often only want the best for their children especialy their dawters! So, they probably wouldn't want anything to happen to you!

Look at this article:

Straw words 'sparked veil attack'

Mr Straw should have known better said Mohammed Akbar Ali
A leading Muslim has blamed Jack Straw's comments for an attack in which a woman's veil was torn from her face.
The woman was attacked in Liverpool by a man shouting racist abuse, the day after the former foreign secretary criticised veils that cover the face.

Mohammed Akbar Ali, ex-chair of the Liverpool Islamic Institute, said Mr Straw should have known better.

Merseyside Police, who say the attack was a hate crime, met Muslim leaders on Saturday to hear their concerns.

Mr Akbar Ali, who was involved in the campaign to free Liverpool hostage Ken Bigley in Iraq, said the attack was no coincidence.

I put the blame squarely and without any hesitation on Jack Straw

Mohammed Akbar Ali

"I put the blame squarely and without any hesitation on Jack Straw," he said.

"He's a responsible member of the government and is in a constituency with a large number of Muslims - he should have known better than make such a statement."

Mr Straw, Labour MP for Blackburn and leader of the House of Commons, said he believed covering faces could make community relations more difficult.

He said watching facial expressions was an important part of contact between people.

He said he had asked Muslim women meeting him at his constituency surgeries to remove their veils.

Some Muslims called his remarks insulting, but others said they understood his concerns.

Speaking of the attack on the woman, Insp Saied Mostaghel of Merseyside Police said it was despicable and had left the victim feeling extremely shocked.

The attacker is described as white and slim with silver-grey hair. He was wearing a light khaki jacket and grey trousers.

Straw words 'sparked veil attack'

A leading Muslim has blamed Jack Straw's comments for an attack in which a woman's veil was torn from her face.
The woman was attacked in Liverpool by a man shouting racist abuse, the day after the former foreign secretary criticised veils that cover the face.

Mohammed Akbar Ali, ex-chair of the Liverpool Islamic Institute, said Mr Straw should have known better.

Merseyside Police, who say the attack was a hate crime, met Muslim leaders on Saturday to hear their concerns.

I put the blame squarely and without any hesitation on Jack Straw

Mr Akbar Ali, who was involved in the campaign to free Liverpool hostage Ken Bigley in Iraq, said the attack was no coincidence.

"I put the blame squarely and without any hesitation on Jack Straw," he said.

"He's a responsible member of the government and is in a constituency with a large number of Muslims - he should have known better than make such a statement."

Insp Saied Mostaghel, of Merseyside Police, said the attack on the woman was despicable and had left the victim feeling extremely shocked.

The attacker is described as white, slim with silver-grey hair and was wearing a light khaki jacket and grey trousers.

The following dua is also very benficial inshaAllah:

Allahumma inna najaluka fi nuhoorihim, wa naoothubika min shuroorihim.

O Allah! we make you (our defence) against their aggression and seek your protection from their evil (designs).

Communities and Local Government Minister Phil Woolas has warned they risked provoking "fear and resentment" which played into the hands of the far right.

The minister - whose responsibilities include community cohesion, race and faith - backed Jack Straw's decision to raise the issue.

In an article for the Sunday Mirror, he has urged Muslims to show understanding for the views of non-Muslims who found the veil "frightening and intimidating".

"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," he 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."

Controversy was sparked by Mr Straw, the Leader of the Commons, 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 his intervention, there was also widespread backing for the way he raised such a controversial issue.

Mr Woolas said it was essential to have a "calm, measured" debate on an issue with important implications.

Anti-war leader defends Muslims -Lindsey German on Newsnight 07/10/2006

The Stop The War Coalition's national convenor, and longtime womens rights campaigner, Lindsey German, believes Jack Straw's remarks will do nothing to serve the cause of community relations in Britain. "Nobody could see Mr Straw's face when he chose to "communicate" his views in a newspaper column or again on the Today programme, a radio programme, this morning," said Lindsey.

"He knew perfectly well that we did not see his eyes, ears, nose, mouth or indeed any part of his body to make his uncomfortable views plain. "To expect some Muslim women to make him feel more comfortable by disrobing is both a sleezy and racist attack.

"His own, less than sartorial dress code does not appear the epitome of good manners to victims of the illegal war in Iraq to which he was so central. "Britain would be a lot better off if Jack Straw were to hide his face in shame!"

Editor of The Muslim News, Ahmed J Versi, expressed alarm Friday about a new pernicious wave of provocative attacks from both politicians and religious leaders to vilify Islam.

"In the last few months, the discourse has changed and it became an open season to demonise Islam," he says.

The warning came as leader of the House Commons, Jack Straw, provoked new controversy Friday by calling on Muslim women to expose their faces by lifting their veils. He said he tells those Muslim women visiting his surgery if they would uncover their faces.

Straw, whose constituency in Blackburn, north-west England, has a 20 per cent Muslim population, claimed that veils (niqab) made community relations "more difficult" and "barrier to community relations."

"On the contrary, Straw's action will exacerbate the fragile community relations. It will also send signals to Muslim women to keep away from his surgery leading to refusal to participate in the democratic process," said Versi.

He added that this will once again be seen as attack on Islam.

Straw's call came after controversy was provoked by the media on Thursday over a Muslim police officer being granted special dispensation to guard the Israeli Embassy in London because he felt "uncomfortable" and "unsafe" during the invasion of Lebanon where he has relatives.

On Wednesday, opposition Conservative leader David Cameron was also seen jumping on the bandwagon by vowing to break up what he called Muslim "ghettos" in British cities and calling only on Muslim schools to admit a quarter of their pupils from other faiths.

In what was seen as part of a campaign to replace Tony Blair as Prime Minister, Home Secretary John Reid earlier called on Muslim parents to spy on their children as potential terrorists.

The campaign against Islam reached new heights with the tactless comments made by Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Germany in September.

"It should not be necessary to remind both political and religious leaders that it is vitally important to respect each other's beliefs and not to demonise them for ulterior motives," Versi warned.

Letters

JACK Straw's remarks are simply a continuation of Labour's recent policy of telling Muslims how to live their lives and how to practise their religion. Just last week we had John Reid telling Muslim parents how to raise their children and now we have Jack Straw telling Muslim women what they should or should not wear.

If Mr Straw is finding it uncomfortable and difficult to communicate with women who wear the veil, then the failure lies with him. Instead of blaming Muslim women, who are simply practising their faith, he should try to understand why they choose to wear the veil. His attitude epitomises the current culture of arrogance surrounding the Labour Party.

This summer a research study by academics at Glasgow University revealed that Muslims have integrated well into Scottish society and great racial harmony exists in Scotland between communities. Perhaps the Labour Party should take a note out of Scotland's book when it comes to building and maintaining "positive relations" between communities.

I am very surprised that a man with Jack Straw's experience does not understand that his constituents are not there to serve him or pander to his requests, but rather that he has been elected to serve his constituents in an effective and wholehearted matter, regardless of what they are wearing. As the councillor for Pollokshields East, and hopefully as an MSP next year, I will do my utmost to represent the views and concerns of my constituents, regardless of what they wear.

Councillor Bashir Ahmad, Glasgow City Council

After the introduction of draconian terrorism laws to oppress Muslims, this appears to be the beginning of a campaign to rid the Muslims of their traditions. After the veil, it might be the turn of the scarf to go, then the beard, the turban, the baggy trousers and the long gown, to rid Muslims of their identity. It may not even end at that. After the Muslims, it might be the Sikhs, the Jews and other religious minorities who would be made to shed their different appearance and apparels "to conform to the British way of life". Eventually the well-known saying about the eradication of minorities by the German Nazis will come true . . . then they came for me and there was no-one left to speak for me.

Bashir Maan, 8 Riverview Gardens, Glasgow

What is wrong about being different? I do hope that Jack Straw and his Labour Party friends are not going to make it compulsory for us all to wear grey suits.

Graeme Pagan,
Neaveton, Rowan Road, Oban.

John Eoin Douglas, 7 Spey Terrace, Edinburgh