Veil is 'mark of separation' - Blair

Tony Blair has agreed that Muslims wearing veils is a "mark of separation" in society.

In his first monthly press conference since Jack Straw sparked a row over the role of Muslims in the UK, the prime minister was repeatedly asked about veils, faith schools and extremism.

Blair gave his backing to a local authority which suspended a Muslim teacher who insisted on wearing a full veil whilst teaching and to his cabinet colleague Straw's airing of the debate.

Aishah Azmi was suspended from Headfield Church of England junior school, in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

And Blair said: "I back their [the local authority] handling of the case and I can see the reasons why they came to the decision that they did".

He added that it was part of a debate about Islamic practice that was going on around the world.

"I think we need to have this debate in a sensitive way but as well as being about people preserving their distinctive identity it also about how people integrate into British society.

"It is important that people who come to this country learn English, for example.

"It is about getting the balance right and we need to have the debate in a sensible and serious way and even though people would not have chosen for the debate to have been started in this way it is a debate we need to have".

Asked whether the veil was a barrier to integration, Blair said: "It is a mark of separation and that is why people from outside the Muslim community feel uncomfortable.

"No-one wants to say that people don't have the right to do it that would be taking it too far but we do need to confront this issue of how we fully integrate people into this society.

"All the evidence is that people who do integrate do achieve more.

"The debate about the veil is part of a broader question of how we make sure that the Muslim community integrates with British society in circumstances where the majority where of the Muslim community do."

On making new faith schools take on 25 per cent of pupils from families of other or no religion, the prime minister said that it was his government that had ended "discrimination" by allowing Islamic faith schools.

He added that what was important was that respect for other faiths and British values were taught in all schools.