I believe we are a tolerant nation, as demonstrated by centuries of gradually absorbing peoples from around the world.

However, I think the niqab is a step too far.

Have any other cultures within the UK demanded the right to hide/cover their faces in public?

The senior Imam in Egypt ruled several years ago the wearing of a niqab was not a requirement of the Muslim faith – it is purely cultural. Just suppose we all adopted this ‘culture’. How would we communicate and what problems would arise – e.g. picking up children from school, going into a bank, giving evidence in court etc. As humans, we communicate not just by words but also by gestures and expressions, and without the latter, misunderstandings would abound.

I fully accept the right to dress as one wishes, but hiding your face behind a veil I find insulting to my culture, and I believe is a step too far. Our politicians should have the courage to stand up, like the secular French government, and ban the wearing of the veil in public places.

Rod Fotherby Steeton