Seems carerra had already started a thread on this topic. I guess it takes a while for news to cross the pond I just heard about it today.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/10/06/uk.straw/index.html
Makes a lot of sense to me. What about you othersStraw veil call sparks Muslim fury
LONDON, England -- A senior British Cabinet minister has sparked fury by saying that Muslim women who wore full veils made community relations more difficult.
Jack Straw wrote in a newspaper that a veil was "a visible statement of separation and difference" and that he was more comfortable dealing with female visitors to his local political office with their faces uncovered.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/10/06/uk.straw/index.html