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Equality Bill [HL]

My Lords, I strongly support the amendment for which the noble Baroness, Lady Miller, has argued powerfully. Suppose someone was addressing a gathering of people who were not necessarily known to him or her, and expressed the view that men who made their wives or daughters cover themselves from head to toe were living in the middle ages and treating their wives or daughters like cattle. That is a proposition with which many Muslims, including virtually all my Turkish friends, would strongly agree. However, many Muslims would take exception that, including, perhaps, someone in the audience, who himself had made his wives and daughters cover up. He might claim that by expressing that view his dignity had been violated. So the argument for the amendment is extremely strong and I hope that the Government will accept it.