A veiled threat?

This one has yet to hit America.

It really caught my attention recently when Britain got caught up in a public ‘row’ recently over the Islamic head scarf and face veil. Why do a double-take on that? Because small as that story might have appeared – when it did at all – it marked a turning point. It’s a new day in Islamic relations with democratic societies, especially in Europe.

The row over veils has aroused massive public interest and is starting to resemble the anguished debate that took place in France over the ban on headscarves in schools. It began when Jack Straw, leader of the House of Commons, revealed on October 5th that he asked veiled women who came to see him at his constituency in Blackburn to show their faces. Mr Straw said that he opposed passing laws on what to wear, but that veils make talking harder and emphasise separateness, and are therefore bad for community relations. He was backed this week by Gordon Brown, the chancellor of the exchequer, who added that immigrants should learn English and familiarise themselves with the Magna Carta.

This takes the issues of immigrant population and assimilation to a new and unabashed level. ‘Tolerance’ is being tested.

What’s behind the veil, and what does its presence reveal?

“Personality dictates whether women wear a veil or not,” says Salma Yaqoob, a councillor in Birmingham who campaigned against the war in Iraq. Ms Yaqoob cites her own family as an example: she does not wear a veil, her sister wore one for a while but has now taken it off, and her mother wears one whenever she feels like it. Wearing the veil is, she says, a private matter.

Yet whatever the precise reasons for Muslim women covering up, the row has unveiled tensions within Britain. The main worry is about whether a formerly easygoing approach towards integrating ethnic communities is still working.

According to a Populus poll published in the Times this week, 69% of Britons think that Muslims make a valuable contribution to society—up ten points since the summer. But this broad approval is fragile: 60% told the same pollsters then that Muslims are viewed with suspicion by other Brits. The veil hardly helps to dispel such feelings, which is why some Muslims share Mr Straw’s concerns. It is also a symbol of a separateness that no longer seems acceptable after London was attacked by home-grown suicide bombers last year.

In a post-9/11 American society, this issue will likely confront us soon.