Muslim veils don't bother McGuinty

[SOO MAAL]

Muslim veils don't bother McGuinty

By ANTONELLA ARTUSO, QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU CHIEF

 

Premier Dalton McGuinty says he has no problem speaking to women wearing full veils.

 

Jack Straw, the leader of the British House of Commons, is the latest politician to set off a firestorm after admitting he asks Muslim women to show their faces when he meets with them.

 

And yesterday, a Muslim teaching assistant in London, England, suspended after she refused to remove a veil during lessons, won a victimization suit against her school.

 

Asked for his views on the veil, McGuinty said he supports absolutely a woman's right to wear what she pleases.

 

"One of the strengths of this society that we're building together is that we are respectful of one another's traditions and faiths, as long as we understand that we're building here on common ground and respecting the law of the land," he said.

 

Conservative Leader John Tory said he believes people have the right to dress according to their traditions and faiths.

 

"I think what we should be doing is spending our time trying to find ways to bring people together and to understand each better, rather than giving them instructions on how they can dress or how they can live their lives," Tory said.

 

NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo said women have the right to make choices in their lives.

 

"And if they chose to wear a veil then so be it -- this is a woman's right," DiNovo said.