The British debate over veils began in October 2006 when the MP and government minister Jack Straw wrote in his local newspaper, the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, that, while he did not want to be "prescriptive", he preferred talking to women who did not wear a niqab (face veil) as he could see their face, and asked women who were wearing such items to remove them when they spoke to him, making clear that they could decline his request and that a female member of staff was in the room.
Straw said he told the newspaper this information to open a debate on the subject, and not because of the upcoming deputy leader election in the Labour Party. Straw was Foreign Secretary at the time of the Iraq War and since 1979 has been the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Blackburn, where at least one quarter of the population are Muslim. Straw later stated that he would like to see the veil "abolished" altogether, adding that he was worried about "implications of separateness".
Straw's views were met with a mixed response, with some agreeing to the idea of a debate, some arguing that Muslim women should not wear veils in the United Kingdom, and some, such as the newspaper the Daily Express, calling for the veil to be banned. Others were opposed to Straw's intervention, and some accused him of encouraging prejudice.
In 2010, Jack Straw publicly apologised over his 2006 comments, stating "If I had realised the scale of publicity that they received in October 2006, I wouldn’t have made them and I am sorry that it has caused problems and I offer that apology."
Read more about British Debate Over Veils: Background To The Debate: The Face Veil in Islam, Expressions of Opposition To The Wearing of The niqab, Expressions of Opposition To The Raising of The Issue As A Public Debate, Expressions of Opposition To The Tone of The Debate, Accusations of Islamophobia, Violent Attacks, Media Spoof, Opinion Polling, Foreign Commentary On The UK Debate, Parliamentary Debate
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