(Daily Express)

This follows the publication of a 72-page document by the Muslim Council of Britain, which attempts to promote better integration of Muslim pupils into the state sector. It calls for tolerance of religious needs and recommends that schools allow Muslim girls to wear headscarves in lessons and permit Muslim boys to grow a beard. The Daily Express draws parallels with the Taliban, the oppressive fundamentalists who ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001. The comparison is unflattering. The Taliban had little interest in promoting understanding between religions. They banned girls from school and forced all women to wear burqas. And, unlike the Taliban, the Muslim council has yet to call for errant headteachers to be flogged or stoned in public.

Muslim council report, page 22