Talat Ahmed, who chairs the Muslim Council of Britain’s social and family affairs committee, remains concerned despite Birmingham Metropolitan College reversing its initial banning of the Islamic full-face veil.
Mrs Ahmed was worried by a separate landmark ruling by Judge Peter Murphy this week stopping a 22-year-old female defendant from taking to the witness stand unless she removed her niqab.
She said: “The recent events will once again generate controversy when, in fact, what we really need is sensible, non-hysterical conversation.
.... On the question of whether the niqab is an Islamic requirement, Mrs Ahmed said: “We recognise that there are different theological approaches to the niqab. Some consider this to be an essential part of their faith, while others do not.
“Even amongst those who do consider the niqab to be an ultimate expression of their faith, there are some who emphasise the need to be practical when there is an essential need to show one’s face – for example, for reasons of security.” [Birmingham Mail, 18 September] Read more
