Veil row forces Muslims to defend faith, warns Johnson

Alan Johnson warned Cabinet colleagues last night that their attacks on Muslim women for wearing the veil may backfire and drive them to defend their faith.

The Education Secretary used a speech in Brighton to caution Jack Straw, the Leader of the Commons, and Harriet Harman, the Solicitor General, who have been in the forefront of the calls for Muslim women to avoid barriers that stop them integrating into British society.

Speaking at the National Children and Adult Services conference, he made it clear that he was not attacking their views, which came after the suspension of a Muslim teacher who refused to remove the veil in front of male colleagues.

He said: "We must be careful that, rather than driving people into defending their faith, we instead encourage an open celebration of our diversity. Young minds are free from prejudice and discrimination ­ so schools are in a unique position to prevent social division. Schools should cross ethnic and religious boundaries, and certainly not increase them or exacerbate the difficulties in this sensitive area."

Mr Johnsonconfirmed that he will ask existing faith schools to do more to foster integration with other faiths or non-believers in their communities.

He said anamendment tabled to the Education and Inspections Bill in the Lords is only "the start". The Bill will give local authorities discretion to specify that non-believers are allocated a quarter of places at new faith schools.

However, Mr Johnson said that he also wanted to go further by asking existing faith schools to contribute more to their communities, possibly through teacher exchanges.

"This important principle is a start," he said. "Through the current consultation on the new admissions code, we should explore whether there is more we can do by encouraging existing faith schools to further promote community cohesion, as I know they themselves are keen to do.

"Building on the agreement signed earlier in the year by all the faith groups to teach each other's religion in their RE classes, I want to see teachers exchange between different religious schools, so that pupils and teachers are exposed to the ethos and approach of different faiths."

David Lammy, the Culture minister, said last night that it was right for Muslim extremists to be given air time to express their views. He said: "People ask, is it right for the BBC or al- Jazeera to interview groups who spread mistrust and division through a twisted reading of Islam? The answer is, 'yes, it is'.

"Freedom of expression means showing up the extremists for what they are."