Police in the Australian state of New South Wales are to be allowed to demand the removal of burqas and other face veils so they can identify people.
The state government approved the move late on Monday after the high-profile recent case of a Muslim woman being acquitted when a judge ruled she could not be positively identified because was wearing a burqa. “I don’t care whether a person is wearing a motorcycle helmet, a burqa, niqab, face veil or anything else, the police should be allowed to require those people to make their identification clear,” Premier Barry O’Farrell said.
“I have every respect for various religions and beliefs but when it comes to enforcing the law the police should be given adequate powers to make a clear identification.”
Fine: Anyone who refuses to show their face could be jailed for up to a year or fined Aus$5,500 ($5,900). The move comes in the wake of a case in November when a woman was sentenced to six months jail for falsely accusing police of forcibly trying to remove her burqa when she was stopped for a traffic offence. But her sentence was quashed last month when a magistrate said he could not be 100 percent sure it was the same woman who made the complaint because officers were not able to see the face of the accuser.
No excuse: In New Zealand, Prime Minister John Key on Tuesday said Muslim women wearing veils should not face discrimination, after two Saudis were reportedly ordered off buses due to their attire. The Islamic Council of New South Wales said it accepted O’Farrell’s decision. “If you’re asked to do something by a police officer and it’s legitimate, then you do it,” council chairman Khaled Sukkarieh told ABC radio.