The reason the "race card" exists is because people of certain groups feel targetted in the first place.
If people did not feel discriminated against the "race card" wouldn't exist.

The more pertinent question is why certain people are feeling paranoid to start with.

If you had relayed a story about people deliberately accusing an innocent person of racism for their own gain (it does sometimes happen, but probably not as frequently as Daily Mail/Express readers think) it would have been a different matter. But from what you say, I see only people who are very insecure about how society views them.

As for banning veils, I can't see how it is at all compatible with the Universal declaration of Human Rights or the Human Rights Act. It's pure an simple cynical of buying right-wing votes by attacking a false enemy.

Have look at the most recommended comment son the BBC forum for proof of how manipulated and misinformed the general public is on the matter of race & racism:

 http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?sortBy=2&threadID=5793&edition=1&ttl=20070325103628&#paginator

The fact of the matter is that it was Africans (today Arabs) that first abolished slavery.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery#History_of_abolitionism

If you were living in a country where the prevailling view of white people is that they are all psychopaths who have never done anything positive, would you not feel edgy and paranoid?

Why do punks force their beliefs in my face whenever I see them?! Their weird hair styles and clothes are nothing more than a cultural statement of segragation from the rest of society that helps reinforce self paranoia that everyone is against the. Come to think of it, why do council estate kids wear tracksuits and hoodies and baseball caps. They know that people are going to think they are trouble. Why can't everyone look, dress, think the same?!!!

See the logic????

For many wearing the veil is similar to african americans sporting afro's in the late sixties and seventies in the states. A open sign of who they are, what they beleive in and not being afraid to do so, especially when being black and proud of it was see as such a dangerous idea.

Why should anone change the way they appear because other people are too ignorant to understand them. Respect to all the women who wear their veils in the face of such ignorance, which is evidently also prevelant on the 'left' in this country.

If you don't like religions being 'forced in your face' would you also support the banning of crucifixes and stars of David and other religious iconery ?

Banning anything is bad, people should be allowed to dress as they wish. As for their 'paranoia', well if you don't experience something personally then you don't really know what it's all about. I remember the first time I walked down the street with a beautiful girl. I was amazed to notice every single male driver who passed glanced at her. She didn't mind but I was shocked - women drivers never glanced at me. And I was amazed when I went hitchhiking around France with a (non-religious) Algerian friend - no one would stop for him but lots of people stopped for me. He said that would happen but I didn't believe him and thought he was being paranoid until I saw it.

If you are really interested in how racist or tolerant your society is, there is an easy experiment that you could try. Dress up in Islamic clothes for a day and see how people treat you. I'm sure you could borrow such clothes from a local mosque if you explained your interest. Actually, I've never tried that, maybe I'll grow a beard and try it myself.

Or, to experience racism yourself, holiday in a country where being white isn't an advantage - Zimbabwe springs to mind if you are brave enough.

i think the real reason u were pissed off with her is cos she is a woman!

are u sure it isn't YOU 'playing the race card' to yourself in order to supress and deny your own mysogeny?

it's you that's pushing segragation with your views.

If you feel challenged, troubled or threatened by the fact someone's wearing a veil, it's those feelings that need to be addressed. Those feelings are rife today, and we don't usually respond to people's insecurity, often through lack of contact or ignorance, through banning people being who they are (at least not in a relatively-tolerant non-fascist society). We need to deal with them through education, through social programmes, community development, getting more people to mix, and encouraging people to feel good about themselves, and secure, and thus not needing scapegoats or threats.