Must Unveil In Court?

[mushroom25]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/10261550/Muslim-woman-must-remove-burka-in-court-judge-insists.html

a sound legal principle? Or is the learned judge just exposing his prejudices?

[FredPuli43]

hc, a Koppel is what is sometimes called a skull cap. Some Jews merely cover the back of the head with a handkerchief when swearing on the Old Testament, others more conventional and correct have the appropriate cap with them.

The point of my reference is that this woman has the burqa as what her community regards as a religious obligation on her, just as a wife of the most devout, or religiously strict, Jew shaves her hair completely off, and wears a wig. The Jew thinks the same, a religious obligation, of his Koppel, the more devout Jews wear one at all times but others reserve it for oaths and for the synagogue. It seems a little odd to talk of the practice or custom one such minority as being pandered to and not the same of the other being so.

[FredPuli43]

And surely the complaint was that only her eyes could be seen] [see the link. She was not wearing a garment where a veil covers the eyes when the. Is what she was wearing a burqa?

[FredPuli43]

If it leaves the eyes uncovered it's not a burqa, at least not as illustrated in Wikipedia 'burqa'

[hc4361]

I know the skull cap to be called a Kippah or Yarmulke. That's not a problem in a court - even the judge wears a wig.

[New Judge]

Merely seeing them does not offend me, Fred. Having to deal with them does:

“If I had to deal with anybody with their face covered…..I would be most offended”

I see all sorts of things I don’t like, all sorts of things that are ridiculous. That’s life. But I would refuse absolutely to deal with (e.g. converse with, do business with, etc) anybody who insists on keeping their face covered. So to answer your question I have no social intercourse or business with anybody who behaves in that way. So their carrying out such a practice does not trouble me in the least.

In the court situation which is the subject of this question a number of people there have no choice but to deal with some or all of those that take part in the proceedings. This, and the practical reasons that many have mentioned mean there should be an absolute rule that no face coverings are permitted in court.

So, to summarise:

I have no objection to people wearing face coverings of any sort so long as it does not affect me (e.g. if they are masked raiders breaking into my house).

I do not care if Muslim women want to walk around with their faces covered and I care even less if, as some have suggested, they are considered to be supporting the oppression of women and/or continued segregation.

Sorry if it's "ever so 70's" but I am offended by people who want to have dealings with me whilst they continue to keep their face covered, so I don't deal with people with that inclination.

There should be an absolute rule that all participants in UK courts take part in the proceedings with their faces clear for all to see.