Amid officials' denial, proposed Niqab ban angers aussie Muslims

Rasa - Attempts by a Tasmanian senator to ban burqa, worn by Muslim women, has been widely criticized by Australian Muslims and the state officials who considered it “unconstitutional” while Daily Telegraph claims something else.

News ID: 1269

Date: 30 September 2014 - 00:47

RNA – “A law banning the burqa per se throws up constitutional red flags and may well be struck down under section 116,” legal expert George Williams told International Business Times on Monday, September 29.

“If you had a law banning people from covering their face, it would be unworkable. It would frankly be a bit silly, which goes to the heart of this debate.”

Senator Jacqui Lambie of the Palmer United Party (PUP) has been calling for drafting a law to ban burqa in public places.

Lambie, who argues that Islamic face veil “falls into the category of identity concealing religious garments”, plans to introduce a Private Members Bill in the senate this week.

This is while the US-based Daily Telegraph claims that it can “reveal some of Australia’s biggest employers impose no restrictions on women wearing hijabs, niqabs and burqas to work unless it affects their safety.”

“Headwear such as turbans and headscarves” could be worn when taking a licence photo. “The requirement for a licence photo is that the individual’s face must be seen,” Daily Telegraph quotes A Roads and Maritime Services spokesman as saying.

“In cases where a woman also wears a veil, they can request to have the photo taken by a female staff member outside normal office hours” the report adds.

During the recent month, Muslims living in Australia are reportedly suffering the increasingly dangerous atmosphere of the country as Islamophobia has been on the rise since the so-called Islamic State announced its establishment in Iraq.

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