THE school uniform has long been an important element of British culture. Its purpose is to remove, as far as is possible, social differences from the classroom so that children can learn together as equals.

The recent court victory for the admirable Miss Begum - who has stood by her beliefs when most others would not have - is a good example of how our country is being taken from us.

Our legal system, based on case law and common law, is closely tied in to our traditions, customs and beliefs and has been tried and tested over many years. By contrast, the Human Rights Act has its origins in European thinking and places more emphasis on the rights of the individual than on the overall good of society.

I think the effect of this ruling will be that many young Muslims will feel under pressure to show that they are true to their Islamic beliefs and so adopt the jilbab.

These young Muslims may well become alienated from the young, indigenous population and also the more westernised Asian children. The overall effect will be to weaken our sense of "Britishness".

STEWART CLOUGH