My thoughts are my company

Here is an excerpt from the article:” The Netherlands certainly has reason for deep soul-searching over its Muslim population, given the murder of Mr Fortuyn and of an anti-Islam filmmaker in the past few years. But dress seems an unappealing place to start. Elsewhere in Europe it has too easily become a symbol for politicians to manipulate. France has banned the wearing of all religious symbols in schools, a law clearly aimed at the Muslim headscarf. The ban, perhaps predictably, made the headscarf a sign of pride for many Muslim girls. Germany, recently, has moved in the same direction. Four states have banned teachers from wearing headscarves. But Muslims know that Germany would never ban Jewish headwear, and they feel singled out. Britain’s former foreign secretary and a Labour Party heavyweight, Jack Straw, recently said he believed that wearing the veil could harm community relations. Tony Blair expressed support for a school that fired a teacher for wearing the face-covering veil. Various towns in Belgium have also banned the niqab.”