COMMENT: Internet trolls mustn't stop Muslim women from speaking out on the Burka
THE Twitter response to Saira Khan's TV comments about the cultural problem regarding the Burka and Niqab was as depressing as it was predictable.
Muslim women should feel empowered to talk about issues including the Burka
Cue outrage, bullying and intimidation after the Loose Women star said Muslim women should have to remove the face veil for security reasons, including at airports where terror police are on high alert.
She was immediately set upon by Cherie Blair's sister on the This Morning sofa, who accused her of wrongly linking the Burka to extremism.
But, as ever, the most virulent and desperate opposition to her comments came online.
And what struck me most about the the extraordinary amount of the abuse tweeted her way was that it came from men - a fact I think highlights a real problem in this country.
It is a sad truth that there are far too many men in certain communities who spend their time telling women what they should be wearing, and how they shouldn't be behaving.
This is the 21st Century for goodness sake - isn't it time we let women from the Islamic faith who want to make a positive difference voice their opinion and give them the opportunity to make a change?
Loose Women star Saira Khan has views which shouldn't be drowned out by Twitter trolls
Ahhh the joys of being a moderate, integrated Muslim woman - you are dammed if you do and dammed if you don't - goodnight and sweet dreams x
— Saira Khan (@IamSairaKhan) January 24, 2016
Women like Saira Khan and Yasmin Choudhury clearly have a voice and they need to be heard, whether we agree with them or not.
We must encourage more people to speak out and encourage women to be a part of the debate and it's crucial that online bullies - who let's remember are a tiny number and are not representative of mainstream British Muslims - are not allowed to stifle that debate with scare tactics.
All of that brings me on to the Government's Prevent strategy, which has been fairly roundly panned as a complete failure.
I've worked on counter-extremism myself, and it's clear that not only are we miles behind where we need to be, but as a country we still have very little idea about what the causes of extremism even are.
The Burka is a controversial cultural issue which divides Britain
I never liked the word 'Prevent' - it's too reactive - and the time has come to launch a whole different approach if we're going to stop young men and women travelling off to join Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria.
We've got to tackle the issue of identity, a lack of which is one of the biggest reasons some people turn to hate preachers.
There are too many young British Muslims who don't identify as exactly that - British.
They may come from Pakistani or Middle Eastern families but they don't belong in those countries either - they were born in the UK but it's not really their home. However this is exactly why the term "British Muslim" needs to be totally accepted in the UK. British Muslims is an identity.
David Cameron has announced plans to ban the Burka in certain circumstances
Nothing leaves a young person more confused, and more vulnerable to being brainwashed by hate preachers, than not knowing where they belong.
The worst thing that can happen is they go on Google for answers - that's how these youngsters fall into ISIS' trap.
Instead young Muslims growing up need reliable access points to go to if they have questions regarding their faith.
We need more hotlines and drop-in centres where children who want to enquire about a specific Quranic text can have their questions answered by someone who knows his stuff and isn't going to lead them towards an extremist route.
We live in a time where dialogue, communication and understanding is more important than ever. Even if we don't agree with opinions, we need to debate them.