MEDIA RELEASE

Monday 9th October 2006

"Lift the Veil on Racial Harmony", says Fred

In the wake of two UK Labor politicians calling for Muslim women to remove their facial veils for sake of social harmony, NSW MLC, The Rev Fred Nile called for John Howard, Kim Beazley and other national leaders, to make a stand for Australian values.

“There has been a lot of talk about Australian values,” Rev Nile said. “Here is another issue where Australian values are being sacrificed for sake of political correctness.”

Rev Nile agrees with UK politicians Jack Straw and Phil Woolas that covering the face with a veil is “frightening and intimidating” for non-Muslims.

“You can’t go into a bank or the RTA with a bike helmet or anything else covering your face,” said Rev Nile. “In an age of increasing threat from terrorism, it is vital that every person is open about their identity. That starts with facial identification.”