1) It was rather unfair to slate jack Straw for his comments that the Muslim veil represents a "visible symbol of separation". He was right, since that is the purpose of the veil.
2) It is absolutely the right of Muslim women to choose to wear said veil if they wish. (There are potential issues to do with some Muslim women being coerced into wearing the veil against their wishes. However, this is a different issue from the wearing of the veil in and of itself.)
3) We pride ourselves on having a 'tolerant' society. When exactly, did merely being 'tolerant' become a laudible thing? All that means is that we're not actively trying to drive the outsider away. No, tolerance isn't enough - if we wish to pride ourselves on the openness of our society, we have to be actively welcoming, and put neither deliberate nor incidental barriers in the way of the incomer finding their way.
4) All that stops short of saying we must cast aside the underpinnings of our society, nor that we must consider the values of the incomer more important than our own values. But there is a balance that should be struck, and we're not striking it.
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