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British Minister Urges Firing of Muslim Teacher in Face Veil Dispute
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?r=279&c=657878&l=1009&ctl=14698A2:A6F02AD83191E1603DDA57124E2F43CC9574F7DCC14957C0 Phil Woolas says
wearing veil while teaching made it impossible for teacher to perform
her duties A British government minister says a Muslim teaching
assistant in northern England should be fired for refusing to remove
her face veil at school.

Local Government and Community Cohesion Minister Phil Woolas said the
decision of the 24-year-old to wear a veil while teaching made it
impossible for her to perform her duties. His comments were reported
in the Sunday Mirror newspaper.

The increasingly fervent public debate over Islamic integration in
Britain began earlier this month, when former foreign secretary and
now House of Commons leader Jack Straw said Muslim women visiting his
office should first remove their veils.

Last week, Prime Minister Tony Blair publicly backed Straw, saying
Straw was seeking to ensure the integration of people from different
cultures into mainstream British society.

Muslim leaders have denounced the comments and criticized politicians
and the media for allegedly demonizing Britain's Muslim community.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.


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