Dear Sir,

The purpose of my letter is to register a complaint in relation to the regulations implemented at

Burnley College which forbids face covering to be worn inside its premises. Although the
regulation is for all items of clothing in general, in practise, it seems to have been implemented
specifically to exclude women who wear the Islamic veil covering (niqab) from your premises.

Given the unfortunate history of race-relations in Burnley, I find it alarming and disappointing that
the college has implemented this divisive and, in my view, unnecessary regulation. What does it
achieve? All it seems to do is prohibit a segment of the local population from benefiting from not
only studying at the college, but also excludes mothers and other female relatives from attending
events to check on the progress of their relation. Ironically enough, the vast majority of the
women who will be impacted by this regulation live only a few metres away from the location of
the college in the Daneshouse and Stoneyholme ward of Burnley.

It could be argued that this regulation is in contradiction with many of the aims in your Gender
and Race Equalities Statements which seek to promote equality of opportunity, regardless of the
background of the individual. Furthermore, if the college wishes to serve its primary aim “to
provide our students with high quality learning resources to help them reach their full potential”,
surely it should be going out of its way to become an inclusive institution, as opposed to excluding
a segment of society?

The rights and wrongs of the niqab per se are not important in this matter, but it is the individual
right that a person can chose to wear what they wish which is paramount. However, this must of
course be coupled with the needs of the wider student body, which I am led to believe in this case
is of safety for the college as a whole. Therefore, instead of an outright ban, is it not possible that
the females who observe niqab can show their faces in private, as and when requested, by the
security guards? This is regularly the norm for women who observe the niqab when it comes to
concerns over identity such as when travelling and going through immigration at airports. If the
government of the United Kingdom is happy for this to occur at all British airports, where one
could argue safety concerns are higher, why is this not possible at Burnley college? I am certain
that this or some other form of compromise can be reached which does not exclude the right for
these individuals to education, but also protects the legitimate safety concerns of the college as a
whole.

I sincerely hope Burnley College will rethink its decision, consult the local Muslim community and
come to an amicable solution on this niqab issue.

I look forward to hearing back from you on this issue.

Yours sincerely,