Former foreign secretary Jack Straw’s disgraceful comments about women wearing the veil threaten to produce the deep ethnic divisions he pretends to oppose. Respect is deeply angered that so senior a Labour politician could come out with such crude, headline grabbing, Islamophobic prejudice.

“Who does Jack Straw think he is to tell his female constituents that he would prefer they disrobe before they meet him,” says Respect MP George Galloway. “For that is what this amounts to. It is a male politician telling women to wear less. When put like that, there’s no one who would be considered part of the civilised political spectrum who would have anything but contempt for Straw.

“Yet, because this is about Muslims, we are seriously being told this is about breaking down the ‘barriers to community cohesion’. It is not women choosing to wear what they want that is sowing division in our society. It is poverty, racism and the despicable competition between the Tory and New Labour front benches over who can grab the headlines as the hammer of the Muslims.

“You only have to look at the three nights of violence directed against one Muslim family in Windsor to see where the real threat to a united and diverse community comes from.”

Respect news report, 5 October 2006

Straw’s comments play into the hands of the intolerant

The Muslim Council of Britain is concerned that the comments made yesterday by such a high-profile figure as Jack Straw may play into the hands of those who are intolerant of Muslims and Islam. There may be a difference of opinion on niqab (face-veil), but we have to respect a woman’s right to choose to adopt it. Mr Straw’s comments have the potential of further undermining civil liberties in our country, which appear to be gradually eroding in the aftermath of the terrible atrocities of July last year.

“There can be no doubt that we are already witnessing an increasingly bigoted anti-Muslim climate being fostered in Britain. Recent weeks have witnessed several arson attacks against mosques and assaults on Muslim individuals around the country. Jack Straw’s comments will hardly help,” said Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain.

MCB press release, 6 October 2006

“Why oh why can’t we Muslims just take some constructive criticism for a change? We live in ghettos, we can’t accept that terrorism is our fault, our Mosques are recruiting centres for jihadis and now Jack Straw has ‘sensibly’ pointed out that women who cover their faces are a hindrance to social cohesion, we’re up in arms again … ”

Rajnaara Akhtar of Protect-Hijab at the Guardian’s Comment is Free, 6 October 2006

See also Protect-Hijab statement, 5 October 2006

“Politicians from all the major parties have declared open season for all who want to blame Muslims for the problems in Britain and to blame the victims of racism for the racism in society.”

Socialist Worker website, 6 October 2006

Cabinet Minister Jack Straw today waded further into the row over his call for Muslim women to remove their veils by saying he would like the garments to be discarded altogether.

The former Foreign Secretary sparked controversy when he revealed that he asks female visitors to his constituency surgery to uncover their faces, to improve “community relations”. But asked on the BBC if he would rather the veils be discarded completely, Mr Straw said: “Yes. It needs to be made clear I am not talking about being prescriptive but with all the caveats, yes, I would rather.”

Last night, Muslim leaders in the Commons Leader’s Blackburn constituency said many Muslim women would find his comments, originally made in his local newspaper, “offensive and disturbing” and Respect MP George Galloway demanded his resignation. But Mr Straw said the increasing trend towards covering facial features was “bound to make better, positive relations between the two communities more difficult”.

Associated Press, 6 October 2006

Straw’s Lancashire Telegraph article is reprinted in the Guardian, 6 October 2006