Lifting the Veil
Not even a close call today on the big talking point here. The former Foreign Secretary has created a ( i was going to say "storm" but thought better of it ) with his comments about Muslim women wearing the veil. It's worth reading . And you'll find a "guide" to Muslim headwear. And is one British newspaper's take on what the Koran does or doen't say about it.
So, is Mr Straw simply opening up a debate? Or is he offending a minority who already feel under attack?
At our meeting today we decided to devote the whole programme to the issue. Nkem and Puja are trying to get us a range of Muslim women to act as a "panel" on the programme, while Priya is trying to paint a picture of reaction around the world, as well as on the phone-ins here.Interestingly, the BBc's Asian Network did a text poll (and i know these things are completely unscientific) and found that 61 per cent of those who texted agreed with Mr Straw. . Most importantly, what do you think? Some of the e-mails we've had already say things like "what would happen if i wanted to wear a short skirt in Saudi Arabia ?" , "it's a symbol of slavery" and "Jack Straw is selectively discriminating".
David is of course bidding for Mr Straw to come on the programme, but we suspect he may be rather busy today.
As a final point , and purely for interest, have a read of my colleague Peter Barron's blog post. He's the editor of Newsnight" and wonders what would happen here at the Ö÷²¥´óÐã if one of our newsreaders decided they wanted to wear a headscarf....
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