the cliff notes to religion in secular society

For anyone trying to keep up with the role of religion in a secular society, remember this - being asked to cover up your crucifix is abhorrent , but refusing take off your veil is an affront to an open and modern society.

If Blair thinks that being able to see his face makes him less of a weasel and more comfortable to be around, he should probably stop saying things like this:

"No one wants to say that people don't have the right to do this [wear the veil]. That is to take it too far. But I think we need to confront this issue about how we integrate people properly into our society." [...]

Mr Blair was asked whether he specifically backed the suspension of a teaching assistant Aishah Azmi at Headfield Church of England Junior School in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, for wearing a veil in the classroom."I simply say that I back their handling of the case. I can see the reason why they came to the decision they did," he said.

I see: a person has the "right" to wear a veil, so long as they don't actually exercise it because it makes people some other feel uncomfortable. This is then called "integration." Okay?

If we are going down this particular path of "logic", I'd like to add that I find beards to an affront to modern society as I am unable to see the full expression on a person's face - which makes me feel uncomfortable. As everyone knows - and to quote Bill Bailey - the chin is the window to the soul.