Veil row may be damaging

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has warned that the debate about the wearing of the veil by Muslim women could damage community relations.

Mr Prescott said that Jack Straw, the Leader of the Commons, had been right to raise the issue, insisting it should not be a "no go area for debate".

Jack Straw

But he voiced concern that it could also lead to "considerable difficulties" in terms of community relations.

On the flipside, British newspapers on Saturday backed cabinet minister Jack Straw after the political storm sparked by his remarks that veils worn by Muslim women harmed community relations.

Woman in burqa

Rashid Ibrahim, from Baltimore in the American state of Maryland, said: "One has to consider the wisdom behind the veil for women. The wisdom behind the veil is for the protection of the woman. It is not oppressive, rather, it is empowering. In a world rampant with sexuality and nakedness, it is refreshing to see a veiled woman with a strong statement about her body: judge her by the contents of her mind, not her body. It is also sign of obedience to the Almighty Allah."

But another reader, Jackie Lewis, from Harrow in the United Kingdom, said: "I have to agree with Jack Straw's comments on the Islamic veil.

"I am personally offended to see any woman covered up in the 21st century. I often see them wearing the full burka in Harrow, yet they are always accompanied by men in baseball caps, jeans and trainers. As with a lot of faiths there are always double standards between the sexes."