I think everyone should move on from this petty issue of the veil and discuss more serious issues that affect our community of East Lancashire, such as crime, drugs and a disrespectful youth of all backgrounds.

If the veil should be banned, then so should the hoodies and any other clothing that seems ‘different’ or ‘odd’, and for me that is a no-win battle. I cannot believe that a young or old woman wearing the veil can be a threat to anyone, and if the public at large investigated the thinking behind wearing the veil, they would soon realise that the female behind the veil is a committed, honest, respectful individual that is not showing off her bodily parts and is protecting her modesty. However, I agree that for health and safety reasons there are certain places where confirming identity by looking at the face is essential.

But after that, a female wearing the veil should be able to continue to visit the public place, eg. at St Mary's College, with a visitor’s badge that acknowledges that a normal, sane woman is behind the veil.

Why can’t the staff at St Mary’s use common sense with this matter? As far as community cohesion is concerned, apart from the current economic climate, aren’t we all enjoying life in the 21st century, indulging in the latest technology, progressing in many fields of work, leading innovation and creativity in many different fields of work?

The UK is the second-largest supplier of foreign direct investment in the world, and receives more foreign direct investment than any other EU country.

We benefit hugely from the free and increasing flow of trade in goods and services.

With all this happening, I would say the UK is a cohesive country and contains many cohesive communities (and East Lancs is one of those) and the many different communities in this country are contributing to the UK’s drive for further improvement in a global context.

The diverse communities should be allowed to express their identity in any shape or form, whether that’s a veil, turban or cross.

Just because one doesn’t like one or a few aspects of another’s ideas or looks, doesn’t necessarily mean we aren’t a cohesive community.

S Shah (Mr), Accrington.