[Sundae]

I'm annoyed that this is being given so much press. I've heard the, "It's good that this is up for discussion" line too often - no-one is getting anywhere discussing it, so why don't we just drop it? Am referring to the media here btw, not this thread!

The teaching assistant in question was employed by a C of E school and did not wear a veil at her interview (the panel included a male Director). Therefore I feel she misrepresented herself at interview and the school was right to give her the choice of unveiling or leaving.

I have a colleague of Turkish descent. In that predominately Muslim country, the female teachers do not wear veils in the classroom. It's considered a hindrance to teaching apparently.

Some of the interviews have raised a smile though. Militant Muslim women shrilly declaiming that the veil is no barrier to communication and that they can express themselves perfectly well this way. Baffled looks from their interviewers, who have no visual clue as to their emotions. At least they won't have to worry about being recognised in the supermarket as that woman off the telly.

I'm all for women deciding to veil in the streets if it makes them feel more secure or more in touch with their religion. But it is a form of display, and they should not feel aggrieved when their deliberate decision to isolate themselves from mainstream society is recognised as such.