Ruth Gledhill
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Britain’s first Muslim peer yesterday condemned the veil as a “physical barrier to integration” and called for it not to be worn.
Lord Ahmed of Rotherham questioned whether veils were needed in today’s society.
While the Labour peer said that he did not want the face veil, or niqab, he argued that it was introduced originally to guard women against harassment but was now having the opposite effect in Britain.
He told the Yorkshire Post: “The veil is now a mark of separation, segregation and defiance against mainstream British culture.
“But there’s nothing in the Koran to say that the wearing of a niqab is desirable, let alone compulsory. It’s purely cultural. It’s an identity thing which has been misinterpreted.”
The peer said Muslims in Britain must become more sensitive to their surroundings, in the same way as Westerners in Saudi Arabia should wear a head covering.
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