Press Association
Sunday
December 24, 2006 2:03 AM
Britain's only Asian bishop waded into the row over veils, claiming Muslim
women should not wear the garment in public. The Bishop of Rochester, the Right Reverend Michael Nazir-Ali, also argued
that legislation should be introduced to give officials the power to remove the
veil. His outspoken comments came just a day after the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr
Rowan Williams, claimed the Government had displayed "short-sightedness" and
"ignorance" over its policies on Iraq. Pakistan-born Bishop Nazir-Ali said the Muslim community needed to make more
effort to integrate in British society. "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 for legislation over the veil after a suspect wanted over the
shooting of Pc Sharon Beshenivsky was thought to have fled the UK while dressed
in a veil. Bishop Nazir-Ali said: "Given that we are facing an unprecedented security
situation, legislation needs to be introduced that allows officials to remove
the veil." He added that people were "too worried about offending Muslims". Jack Straw initially sparked a furious debate about the veil in October and a
number of senior ministers, including the Prime Minster, have voiced their
opinions on the issue. In a separate interview with the Mail on Sunday, Bishop Nazir-Ali said
"thoughtless bureaucracy and the desire to be politically correct" were in
danger of destroying Christmas. © Copyright Press Association Ltd 2006, All Rights
Reserved.