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| Straw's veil stance under attack | Straw's veil stance under attack |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| The Conservatives have criticised Commons leader Jack Straw for asking Muslim women attending his constituency surgery to remove their veils. | The Conservatives have criticised Commons leader Jack Straw for asking Muslim women attending his constituency surgery to remove their veils. |
| Mr Straw, MP for Blackburn, referred to veils being a "visible statement of separation" in a newspaper article. | Mr Straw, MP for Blackburn, referred to veils being a "visible statement of separation" in a newspaper article. |
| Conservative policy director Oliver Letwin said it would be a "dangerous doctrine" to start telling people how to dress. | Conservative policy director Oliver Letwin said it would be a "dangerous doctrine" to start telling people how to dress. |
| Downing Street said Mr Straw was expressing a private opinion. | Downing Street said Mr Straw was expressing a private opinion. |
| The former foreign secretary, whose constituency is about 30% Muslim, believes women wearing veils can increase "separateness". | The former foreign secretary, whose constituency is about 30% Muslim, believes women wearing veils can increase "separateness". |
| Find out about different styles of Muslim headscarfIn graphics | Find out about different styles of Muslim headscarfIn graphics |
| "Wearing the full veil was bound to make better, positive relations between the two communities more difficult," Mr Straw wrote in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph. | "Wearing the full veil was bound to make better, positive relations between the two communities more difficult," Mr Straw wrote in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph. |
| Being able to see mouths and noses would lead to true "face-to-face" conversations with his constituents. | Being able to see mouths and noses would lead to true "face-to-face" conversations with his constituents. |
| This, he wrote, would enable him to "see what the other person means, and not just hear what they say". | This, he wrote, would enable him to "see what the other person means, and not just hear what they say". |
| He said he made sure he had a female colleague in the room when asking someone to show their mouth and nose - and his constituents had so far always agreed to do so. | He said he made sure he had a female colleague in the room when asking someone to show their mouth and nose - and his constituents had so far always agreed to do so. |
| Mr Letwin said he did not want to "slip gradually" into a situation where we did not allow differences because they create separations. | Mr Letwin said he did not want to "slip gradually" into a situation where we did not allow differences because they create separations. |
| "If a person is making a statement about how they want to dress, I think it's pretty important we live in a country where you're allowed to do that," he said. | "If a person is making a statement about how they want to dress, I think it's pretty important we live in a country where you're allowed to do that," he said. |
| Mr Straw's comments provoked a mixed response from Muslim groups. | Mr Straw's comments provoked a mixed response from Muslim groups. |
| Jack Straw said he had carefully considered his remarks onClick="javascript:launchAVConsoleStory('5410850'); return false;" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/3681938.stm">Jack Straw's views | |
| The Islamic Human Rights Commission labelled the article "astonishing" and accused Mr Straw of discrimination. | The Islamic Human Rights Commission labelled the article "astonishing" and accused Mr Straw of discrimination. |
| The Protect-Hijab organisation said the "appalling" comments showed "a deep lack of understanding". | The Protect-Hijab organisation said the "appalling" comments showed "a deep lack of understanding". |
| But Dr Daud Abdullah of the Muslim Council of Britain said he could understand Mr Straw's discomfort adding that women could choose to remove the veil. | But Dr Daud Abdullah of the Muslim Council of Britain said he could understand Mr Straw's discomfort adding that women could choose to remove the veil. |
| Mr Straw was home secretary from 1997 to 2001, and then foreign secretary until 2005 - a period which included the invasion of Iraq. | Mr Straw was home secretary from 1997 to 2001, and then foreign secretary until 2005 - a period which included the invasion of Iraq. |