THE AUSTRALIAN: THE burqa may be confronting but to ban it would fly in the face of religious freedom, a top public servant has told university students.
"Banning the burqa or any other form of religious dress in Australia would be inconsistent with our principles and traditions of religious freedom and tolerance,'' said Andrew Metcalfe, secretary of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Mr Metcalfe acknowledged that "some Australians find the burqa confronting''.
He was speaking last month at the University of Western Australia on "Australian government approaches to Islam''.Asked whether Mr Metcalfe was speaking personally or expressing a government position, a spokesperson for DIAC said his remarks were "consistent with the government's multicultural policy''.
That policy "allows those who choose to call Australia home the right to practise and share in their cultural traditions and languages within the law and free from discrimination''. » | BERNARD LANE | The Australian | Saturday, November 05, 2011
