THE fuss over Jack Straw's request to Muslim women to remove their veils was inevitable.

After all, we now live in a society where you can be made to feel like a social outcast for even daring to murmur the word Muslim.

It's jut not PC.

I know Jack well from my days as a reporter in Blackburn.

Despite being a politician, he's a decent bloke who has done a lot of work to gain respect in Blackburn's Muslim communities.

He's got their respect so much that they vote for him every four years - in their thousands.

So what exactly is wrong with him asking - I repeat ASKING - Muslim women if they would remove their veil when talking to him at his surgeries?

He doesn't demand it. It's a polite request. And if I know Jack as I do then it would be nothing other than polite.

In fact, I'm pretty sure Jack deliberatly sparked this debate in his local paper so we can now openly talk about all issues Muslim without feeling like it is wrong.

I would hate to speak to someone face to face and not be able to see them.

What's wrong with that? Religion has nothing to do with it.

But oh no, we live in Britain in 2006 and we don't dare say anything that may offend certain sections of our communities.

It was quite ironic that Fiona Bruce, when presenting this story on last night's BBC news, was not wearing the necklace that has sparked such fury this week.

Apparantly some Muslims are offended that she wears a cross.

The word offended is theirs, not mine.

I don't know if the Beeb has caved in and told Fiona Bruce not to wear it anymore but last night it was gone.

Compare this to Jack Straw's request to remove veils.

He doesn't say he is offended by them. He doesn't demand it. He is not "outraged".

We live in a free society.

My grandfather fought to give me the right to live in a country where you shouldn't be afraid to speak your mind without having to worry about offending certain religions.

And I always will.

I support Jack Straw 100 per cent and I urge everyone else to do the same whether you are muslim, catholic, protestant or athiest.

His request has nothing to do with religion, it's to do with living in a polite society where you can have a debate with someone face to face, see the emotion as they speak and engage with them regardless of faith.