Source: The Scotsman

http://www.news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1410182003

On December 26, 2003 The Scotsman reported, "An ecumenical message from the Archbishop of Canterbury has urged Christians, Jews and Muslims to stand together against an increasingly secular society. Dr. Rowan Williams, speaking at Canterbury Cathedral, told of fears over religion, noting what he described as 'sniggering' in the media over the Prime Minister, Tony Blair’s, faith. He said: 'It isn’t surprising if a secular environment looks at religion not only with incomprehension but with fear. The proposal to ban Muslim headscarves in French schools suggests that there is still a nervousness about letting commitment show its face in public.' He added: 'Discomfort about religion or about a particular religion may be the response of an educated liberal or, at the opposite extreme, the unthinking violence of an anti-Semite; it isn’t easy to face the fact that sometimes the effects are similar for the believer.'"