Britain's only Asian bishop has spoken out in the row over veils - claiming Muslim women should not wear them in public.
TheBishop of Rochester The Right Reverend Michael Nazir-Ali said theIslamic community needed to make more effort to integrate into Britishsociety.
His comments come just a day after the Archbishop ofCanterbury accused the Government of being short-sighted and ignorantin its Iraq policy.
Pakistan-born Bishop Nazir-Ali also argued that legislation should be introduced to give officials the power to remove the veil.
"It is fine if they want to wear the veil in private," he told the Sunday Telegraph.
"But there are occasions in public life when it is inappropriate for them to wear it."
He called forlegislation over the veil after a suspect wanted in the shooting of PCSharon Beshenivsky was thought to have fled the UK while dressed in aveil.
"Given that we are facing an unprecedented securitysituation, legislation needs to be introduced that allows officials toremove the veil," he said.
He added that people were "too worried about offending Muslims".
Ina separate interview with the Mail On Sunday, Bishop Nazir-Ali alsoraised his concerns about the future of Christmas traditions.
He said "thoughtless bureaucracy and the desire to be politically correct" were in danger of destroying Christmas.
He claimed there were those in "Whitehall and town hall... who want to write Christ out of Christmas altogether."
