No face...no place

A COLLEGE has banned a Muslim woman from becoming a student - because she will not take off a veil hiding her face.

Shawana Bilqes, 18, was turned away after trying to enrol on a course.
Staff asked her to remove her burka - which covers everything but her eyes - for identity fraud purposes.

But she told them she could not because of her religious beliefs, and was forced to abandon plans to sign up for the Access course to Higher Education Diploma.

Yesterday Shawana, from Burnley, Lancs, said: "It is my choice to wear the veil.
"I live around the corner from the college in an area where there are so many practising Muslims.

"I tried to compromise but they wouldn't. The college sent me a letter to say I could continue with my course if I stopped wearing the veil.
Security

"We are in the 21st Century and we get people from all walks of life. I'm in the police cadets as well and yet it's not a problem wearing the veil there."
Burnley College has 7,500 sixth-form students and a 100 per cent pass rate for the fourth year running.

Principal John Smith defended the decision, saying: "The highest standards of learning require unimpeded communication with students.

"This is not possible if the face is not fully visible."

He also insisted all staff and students must wear a tag showing their face for security reasons.
Justice Secretary Jack Straw previously hit out at the rise of the burka in his Blackburn constituency.

And in France, President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke out in June against the garment, claiming it undermined women's dignity.
He said: "The burka is not a sign of religion, it's a sign of subservience."