Australia unveils a tougher burqa law

Blackwater

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CANBERRA: Muslim women in Australia's most populous state will have to remove veils to have their signatures officially witnessed under the latest laws giving New South Wales officials the authority to look under religious face coverings.

State attorney general Greg Smith said in a statement on Monday that beginning April 30, officials such as justices of the peace and lawyers who witness statutory declarations or affidavits without making identity checks will be fined 220 Australian dollars ($236).

"If a person is wearing a face covering, an authorized witness should politely and respectfully ask them to show their face," Smith said.

The government on Monday began an information campaign to ensure the public and officials were aware of the new penalties.

The laws are a response to a court case last year in which a Sydney woman was convicted of falsely claiming that a traffic policeman had attempted to remove her veil.

A judge overturned the conviction because the official who witnessed the false claim did not look under the veil of the person who made it, so the judge was not certain that the defendant was responsible.



Australian state unveils a tougher burqa law - The Times of India
 

ejazr

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Well this law is in place only in NSW and I live in Sydney so I can give some feedback on this.

This is an example of how the govt. should be engaging with the Muslim community on such issues. Wearing a niqab is not cumpolsory and only a small minority of women wear it here. At the same, Islamic scholars unanimously agree that removing the Niqab for ID, security or medical reasons is fully justified and that there is no problem with doing so.

Some Muslim organisations with involved in fromulating the legislation and they have come out in support of the new laws regarding this.

Muslims told to remove veils under new law - Politics - NZ Herald News

Ikebal Patel, president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils an advocate for Australian Muslims, said while some Muslims regarded the laws as a knee-jerk reaction to the court case, the majority did not object.

"I don't object as long as the laws are enforced with respect and sensitivity," Patel said.

Patel said he was also a justice of the peace and would never witness a document without seeking proof of the author's identity.

He said Muslim women can find female justices of the peace working at most post offices. Women who object to showing policemen their faces have an option of being taken to a police station where their identities can be confirmed by a female official.

Also, Pakistanis hardly wear burqas or niqabs here. Most of the ethnic communities wearing the niqab are actually Arab or new female converts. Even though again, majority of the Arabs and converts don't really wear the niqab.

The case being referred where the police officer didn't check the identity of the women apparently a new muslim convert Carnita Matthews
 

Tshering22

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may be OZ want to avoid this:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:



and this



Downright scary. Guess having a female PM who identifies with this imprisoning primitive Arab attire is what makes all the difference. So many democracies are enacting the law. Wonder why we don't do it...anyone can hide behind that curtain and escape after creating havoc.
 

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