Islamists periodically insist that the green flag must fly over 10 Downing Street, the ultimate repository of political power in Britain. And this threatened victory over the erstwhile imperial overlord has already been preceded by a significant triumph for Britain's Islamists. Noticeable in recent months has been a loss of Britain's famed sense of humour. It seems to have retreated humiliatingly in the face of Islamic ire, in much the way described by the humorist, the late Sukumar Ray, in his verse on the taboo against laughter. Now the media and politicians in England speak in hushed solemn tones. No one dares poke fun at the angry beards encroaching on the freedom to jest in the Sceptred Isle. The bitter saga of the Danish cartoons has silenced the wags.

Into this impending denouement stepped the niqaab-adorned Aishah Azmi, a humble school teaching assistant from obscure Dewsbury in Yorkshire. A perfectly reasonable case can be made that the visibility of lip movement assists comprehension. But the problem is that an unveiled Aishah Azmi may have to confront the lecherous British male since the classroom cannot be sealed hermetically, so that children alone see her face. She insists she will not unveil in front of leering British men, possibly fearful of the cure prescribed for excessive religious zeal by the novelist, Martin Amis. Amis, neither serious novelist nor sociological authority, has asserted that liberating Muslim women is the key to reforming Islam. He has confided to having liberated a Pakistani and an Iranian woman in this noble cause, apparently in the only way a man knows how. None other than Salman Rushdie, who himself helped a dusky Brahmin maiden flee religious oppression, has expressed support for this Arthurian quest.

Yet, Aishah Azmi's association with the niqaab controversy is not all that it seems. Her family worships at the same mosque as one of London's July 2005 suicide bombers. It has arisen rather too conveniently, for both its opponents and defenders, in the immediate aftermath of former British foreign secretary, Jack Straw's comment that the niqaab made him uncomfortable and that it was socially divisive. All hell broke loose, though it is highly unlikely to have surprised Straw. It might even revive his languishing career. His numerous Muslim constituents, who had long remained faithful to him through the Iraq imbroglio, protested outside his office. Although Straw has found support across the political spectrum, his backers have hedged their bets, murmuring about timing and the manner of Straw's intervention. The niqaab issue has touched a rare nerve. The tail of the British bulldog had been tweaked once too often.

Aishah Azmi, herself, has since been featured in a London newspaper in suggestive body hugging attire, including a short, designer-style jacket. Although only her smouldering eyes clamoured behind the niqaab, her appearance guaranteed the arousal of further unseemly curiosity. She had lost her job, as the public deemed appropriate, but received modest compensation for her martyrdom in defence of the faith. It may be noted in passing that British men have unusual curiosity about sultry Arab and Asian Muslim belles, whose veiled mysteriousness constitutes an ancient oriental tease for them. By contrast, white European women wear too little for the male imagination to indulge fantasy and their routine penchant for sexual betrayal is fuelling real male anxiety too.

It is one thing for angry young men of the religion of peace and tolerance to decapitate innocent Indians and Russians and even the occasional Indian diplomat in Britain itself, but rather bad form to assail their solicitous hosts. Blowing up innocent passengers on London's transport network was bad enough. But the constant threat of violence at every imagined slight and, finally, conspiracy to down airliners like so much wild game is quite unsporting. The contrived mask harnessed to assuage Islamic anger by feigning understanding and tolerance dropped. Hypocritical promises to help Muslims integrate better into the British life gave way to a desire to handle matters more firmly. Non-whites in Europe usually acquiesce in their lowly status, though some have succeeded in making pots of money and regard it as a state of grace. A token number have been elevated socially to distract from the awful truth and have become an unbearable public presence as a result. But the Islamic story is far from over. Iraq and Afghanistan are casting a long and ominous shadow over daily life in Britain.

As it happens, very few British Muslim women actually wear the niqaab (the full veil), as opposed to the hijaab, and most that do are unlikely to have any professional interaction with others. It is in fact a non-issue. But it has truly rubbed salt for all concerned into the wounds inflicted by Iraq and much else besides, not least the London bombings last year. More such violence is assured and non-Muslims will face some of the reprisals, with the active connivance of the authorities to mitigate further rounds of retaliatory repercussions. Yet, the sheer scale of the destruction wrought on Iraq, which was clearly the purpose of the Anglo-American invasion, dwarfs any crimes of Islam against others. The permanent removal of Iraq from the Middle East power equation, by first wilfully destroying its museums and libraries, followed by the systematic assassination of its professional classes, has fuelled rage among all Muslims. With anything up to a million dead Iraqis, almost all the blood is clearly on the hands of George W.Bush and Tony Blair

Indians would be well advised to stay clear of this grim affair instead of foolishly seeking to participate in the bitter conflict between Islam and the West. Their principal dispute is specifically with Pakistan's genocidal military order, which has harnessed Islam to pursue unsavoury goals. Other divisive domestic communal questions cannot be resolved by engaging in open warfare merely because Hindu grievances have some justification. Of all the Sangha leaders, A.B.Vajpayee understood this ineluctable reality and his instincts favouring restraint were clearly wise, however unpalatable to some. Joining the West in an assault against Islam would be grave folly if only because the former cares not a whit for India's fate. The West will eventually do a deal with Islam because there is no other option for either, as I have long predicted, and India is likely to be served up as the first course to celebrate the peace. The Chinese may provide the venue for this happy event.

Dr Gautam Sen formerly taught at the London School of Economics & Political Science.