http://bigpondnews.com/articles/TopS...ng_501422.html
Quote:
A judge has ruled an Islamic woman testifying at a fraud trial will have to remove her full-face veil in order to give evidence in Perth.
The decision had been previously delayed because the defence council failed to attend the hearing.
Mark Trowell and Andrew Skerritt, the lawyers for Anwar Sayed, did not attend Perth's District Court this morning and failed to return to phone calls by the court clerk.
District Court judge Shauna Deane says the ruling will help ensure a fair trial for the accused.
The 36-year-old woman, Tasneem, said she normally only removed her religious covering - also known as a Niqab - in the presence of family members.
Tasneem is due to give her evidence in October.
Judge Deane insists her decision will not set a precedent for other court cases.
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The issue has caused a little bit of drama here over the last month. Islamic groups say it's a violation of the woman's right to cover her face in public, while pretty much everyone else is of the view that a court room, while public, isn't exactly a public place. A witness box even less so.
What do IWers think?
I know this topic is on the edge of the religious moratorium. Remove if necessary.
