Australia’s New South Wales police allowed to demand burqa removal

Officers can order Muslim women to remove face coverings to identify crime suspects no matter how minor the alleged offence Police in Australia’s most populous state have been given more powers to order Muslim women to remove burqas and other face coverings if they are suspected of committing a crime. The law was approved by the New South Wales government on Monday in response to a high-profile case in which a Muslim woman, wearing a burqa, had a six-month jail sentence overturned on appeal because of doubts about her identity. The state premier, Barry O’Farrell, said: “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. 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.” Women could previously be ordered to remove their veils if suspected of a serious crime but they can now be told to do so regardless of the gravity of the alleged offence. Anyone who refuses to comply could now be fined A$5,500 (£3,320) or jailed for a year. The laws have been backed by Muslim groups in the state but a civil liberties group questioned the need for legislation. O’Farrell said he was persuaded of the need for new laws by the state’s police commissioner after Carnita Matthews, a 47-year-old Muslim, was freed on appeal, triggering a public outcry. Matthews was convicted last year of falsely accusing a police officer of trying to remove her burqa during a random breath test. But an appeal judge ruled that because the woman who made the complaint was wearing a burqa, it was impossible to tell if it was Matthews. The police association of NSW said a “loophole” had been removed and the legislation would “provide clarity and certainty for both the public and for police officers”. The chairman of the Islamic Council of NSW, Khaled Sukkarieh, told ABC Radio in June that there was no problem with a Muslim women being asked to lift her veil provided it was done “sensibly and with sensitivity”. He also said it would be preferable if the request came from a female officer. Sukkarieh’s comments were echoed by the Muslim Women’s Association. But Stephen Blanks, the secretary of the NSW council for civil liberties, accused the state government of “a kneejerk reaction to a situation that has got a lot of publicity.” He told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper that the government had provided no evidence of how often face coverings had hindered police investigations and suggested the failings in the Matthews case were procedural. Blanks added that police in the case had not properly recorded the identity of the person making the complaint, nor her apparent earlier refusal to remove her face covering. Another state, Western Australia, is expected to follow NSW and pass similar legislation on face coverings, with police chiefs due to meet on Tuesday to discuss the issue. Australia Islam Religion Human rights Haroon Siddique guardian.co.uk

Posted by on July 5, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.