Sigh.

This bizarre scolding of Britons who find it uncomfortable to converse with people wearing masks is yet another example of why Muslims are making their problems living in Western societies worse. Somewhere, this woman has gotten the idea that being asked to speak face to face is some kind of hate crime, akin to forcing Jews to wear the Star of David on a arm band. She asserts that Muslims are the new Jews. (I'll bet that's a thrill for the imams in Gaza.) Of course, what she is equating here is not being forced to brand yourself so as to be subjected to discrimination, but the practice of wearing your religion and using it as a club to intimidate others in society. All Mr. Straw is saying is that he would prefer that Muslims who come to speak with him NOT hide their faces or dress in the kind of garb that was enforced by the Taliban. They should realize when they come to live in the West, that our local custom, upon meeting people wearing masks, is to assume that we are about to be robbed.

The more I think about it, Muslims aren't the new Jews, they're the new Gays, always pointing to themselves as being picked on and insisting that the rest of society notice and accommodate them, rather than keep their private lives private. Only a society that seeks to enforce its rules tells people what they must wear. Aishah Azmi, a teacher from Dewsbury in England was suspended from her post teaching children learning to speak English as a second language, because she wears a niqab, which hides all but her eyes, and the children couldn't see her mouth move, has achieved fame by complaining of discrimination. Theat's pretty much how the media deal with controversies. Pick the most extreme examples to get every angry and then report the stupidity on both sides.