British Say Take Off That Veil: The Culture War Has Begun

The AP reports on the growing struggle in Britain over whether Muslims should be pressed to assimilate by asking women to remove their veils.

LONDON - Prime Minister Tony Blair and author Salman Rushdie praised a British official on Tuesday for raising the difficult issue of whether Muslim women visiting his office should remove their veils.

The comment by Jack Straw, a former foreign secretary who now is leader of the House of Commons, has plunged Britain into a debate over Islamic integration.