Believe it or not, not all burka wearing women are oppressed and defenceless.

Just as not all pregnant twelve year old are exploited innocent girls.

We British are a tolerant, secular, diverse and compassionate society. But from time to time, in our passion to protect those who we feel are unjustly treated we tend to lose the plot a little.

As a Muslim woman, I grew up in an Islamic country and was taught Islam from childhood. I also spent some of my teens and all of my adulthood in the west and can say with confident authority that I have a full understanding of Islam and the western culture. I proudly understand both my religion and my society.

Make no mistake the recent incident of the fugitive Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed, the man who used a burka to escape from police custody is an embarrassing security blunder. But it does not make the burka a security risk any more than the sale of fertilisers in large quantities does. Both can be innocent and used for evil intentions in equal measures.

Also, let’s not forget that many Muslim women today freely choose to become munaqaba and wear the Neqab in the form of a burka or face veil. These women actually feel empowered by being fully covered. We westerns might not understand that logic but it is their logic, born out of their reality and their culture.

Yes culture, because full face cover is not an Islamic act but a cultural doctrine.

As a tolerant and diverse society we can’t but respect these women’s freedom and allow them to make their own choice, same as we accept and respect all other cultures different to ours.

However, we should have in place the safeguards and laws that protect us from their missus, allow institutions the freedom to decide on allowing or disallowing their use. Plus protect those who feel coerced into wearing face cover when they don’t want to.

Banning the burka in this country, although on the face of might seem like a solution, it won’t get to the root of the problem of home-grown terrorism or free oppressed women form the shackles of oppressive men and women in some of our Muslim communities.

Because the same UK that welcomes diversity and inclusivity of all religions, cultures and practices with one hand. Cannot with the other ban what might to some seem like a safety issue or even an unsightly display of cultural difference. We pride ourselves in welcoming diversity and affording all our citizens’ equality, wearing a Neqab for many women is an exercise of self -choice.

Simply put we can’t have it both ways.

Same as when a young teenager becomes pregnant at the age of twelve. We don’t ban sex nor stop young boys and girls from hanging out together. We educate our children about sex. Immunise young girls from fatal sexual diseases and prepare young teens, in the event either precautions fail, how to deal with the consequences.

Banning and forbidding stuff is the easy way out. It’s what I like to call ‘the Band-Aid solution’. It does not resolve the problem but covers over it.

Like a crack on the wall. In order to properly fix it you need to remove the old paint, fully plaster over the crack then repaint the wall. And, sometimes to get the best result, you might need to repaint the whole room not just the cracked wall.

The same meticulous appreciation to DIY and getting the best outcome possible should be applied to understanding and overhauling cultural differences.

For years we made it easy for different cultures to live amongst us and integrate at the rate and the level that suited them. This has its advantages but it also has its disadvantages. As a civilised and advanced nation we should also have anticipated those disadvantages and had in place the precautions and guidelines that protect all of us from them.

Becoming British is a privilege. But it is also a responsibility and should be treated as such by all newcomers and settlers. The first and most important thing every newcomer to these shores should do, if they don’t already do, is learn to speak the language. Learn to speak English.

Speaking English is the one common denominator we should all encourage, because speaking the language of the land is a uniter and at the same time a liberator. It gives its speaker a voice and the courage to interact and fully integrate in their society, thus allowing them to understand for themselves their rights and duties in that society.

That is the point from which our Britishness and citizenship should begin; the rest will then naturally and gradually fall into place.

Don’t ban, educate and empower, but also safeguard and stay vigilant.