Whitman

The hoo-ha surrounding the Muslim class-room assistant who was suspended from work because she refused to take off her niqab (a full veil, as opposed to a hijab, which only covers the hair and neck) has created a bit of a shitstorm in recent weeks with every politician, including our good 'ol PM, throwing their tuppence into the argument.

Whilst I agree to a certain extent that children have a need to see the faces of those who are teaching them, it begs the question of what constitutes as integration in a multiracial country such as the UK. In any democracy, religious freedom is a constitution right, and justifiably so. In the late 60's, Sikh busmen in Wolverhampton won the right to wear their turbans on duty under the Race Relations Act. Male Sikhs are required by their religion not to cut their hair, and wear turbans to contain it. It is a central tenant of their faith, and they wear it with bride whether on the buses or in the army.

Likewise, the Koran states that both men and women have to dress modestly. Although this is open to interpretation, it is a part of their faith, and not one that can easily be questioned by a white man in a suit. Surely asking devout female Muslims to take off their veils is not the best way to create a culture of tolerance or understanding, especially in a time where Islamic, and for that matter, Western culture, is under the spot light. Indeed, it could be argued that fostering tolerance and respect for different cultures should be a definitive goal at school.

I don't, in any circumstances, support fundamentalism of any sort, I can see why certain groups feel that Muslims are persecuted in the West. The fact that the Prime Minister has waded in to the argument seems pretty idiotic at a time when it's reckoned that Britain is now the number one target for Al Qaida. The hornet's nest may just have received another poke.....

Withdraw Retreat

My fucking neurosis', i tell ya.

How come i'm confident enough to tell someone in authority that "quite frankly I couldn't care less that the number of e-mails in your blackberry differs to that in Outlook", yet the very thought of saying "how about a drink sometime?" makes me retreat into my shell to the point of muteness. I should really know better at this age, and have done before, so why not now?

Fucking Neurosis.

Snap

Having spent the last year or so taking random photos on my mobile, i thought i'd post them somewhere for lucky people like yourselves to see. You can find them here.

Smoke

A heart warming tale from the Badlands of Afghanistan. It seems that to evade getting blown to kingdom come, Taliban forces are hiding themselves in vast marijuana plantations. Ah, but surely hiding amongst crops isn't the wisest of ideas, i hear you cry. Surely they could just be, ahem, smoked out??

Naw.

It seems that crops of Mary Jane contain a lot of water, so despite the best efforts of the Canadian forces dropping diesel and phospherous powder on the forest of weed, it hadn't yet caught a' fire. Indeed those parts of the crop that had done, the resulting fumes had made "A section of soldiers that was downwind from that had some ill effects and decided that was probably not the right course of action," according to one Canadian general, possibly caught running down to the local 24 hour garage for Rizlas and Jaffa Cakes.

No shit.

Perhaps the Dutch Army should be sent in......