A British city's opinions on the burkha

As Sarkozy talks up a ban on the Burkha, the discussion heats up here.

In the Express: A British city's opinions on the burkha. looks at opinions in Leeds.   Also:  Ban the Burkha here in Britain.

and the latest in a  series of rants in the Mail:  Why I, as a British Muslim woman, want the burkha banned from our streets

The Muslim Council of Britain has responded to these issues here by saying they are whipping up Zenophobia. They are clearly on the Obama bandwagon:

.... the MCB echoes the US President Barack Obama's caution that 'it is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practising religion as they see fit - for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear. We cannot disguise hostility towards any religion behind the pretence of liberalism.'

And yet the Times suggests its politicking by Sarkozy. Britain could never debate the burka like France | Agnès Poirier - Times Online.

I agree entirely with President Obama. Its back to freedom of choice and freedom of speech again, which we value so highly until we find it personally offensive, challenging, whatever. And then we become as intolerant as the next person.

Update:   Islamophobia Watch has a response to the campaign that is emerging in the Mail and Express: How to Ban the Veil

Answer: find some co-operative Muslims who will agree with you, and promote their views as representative of the community. That way you neatly deflect accusations of racism.

There are many voices to hear in this discussion. But as I wrote in the previous post ( Expenses leak -- "for the public good". mmm?? ) on a  different issue, "... do we really trust the press as the guardians of our morality?  I know I don't."  Or perhaps we should rephrase it here, "Do we really want the press to be the arbiters of justice and freedom in our society?" My answer remains the same.