London's choice (Ramchandra Guha, South Asia Monitor)

The French statesman, Talleyrand, once advised his countrymen to "above all, avoid an excess of zeal". I have always felt that it is the British, not the French, who have followed this advice most diligently. Political and intellectual life in France is dominated by polemic, prejudice, and ideology, whereas the British have avoided extreme and partisan positions in favour of the middle road. Some 15 years ago, Talleyrand's countrymen outlawed the headscarf in schools, colleges and offices, since they were determined to make immigrant Muslims conform in every way to the 'republican' idea of what it meant to be French. Meanwhile, the British, who also had a large and growing community of Muslims, declined to impose any sort of dress code. So, at Heathrow airport, one often had one's passport stamped by a lady dressed in black, her head covered, or, by way of variation, by a Sikh wearing a turban.

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=gwatch&nid=16835