Muslim women and the veil

[osprey]

In all seriousness, when Muslim women go to their banks do they lower their veils so that the cashier can identify them? What would they do if they were refused service? When they go through customs what do they do then? I see nothing wrong with Jack Straw asking them to remove their veil when in his surgery. If they want his help and advice, then they should have the decency to speak to him face to face.

[jsfroude]

interesting point osprey... I've been told to take off my motor cycle helmet in petrol garages for identification purposes, also to take caps off in pubs so i wonder what the official line on these are with regard to veiled muslim women although i doubt the latter is a common problem!

However if muslims want to wear a veil i do think its their right to do so, but it does make me feel a bit sad that you can't see their face and communicate fully. Does anyone have a figure of what percentage of communication is facial?

[saanen]

My brother in law is a university lecturer, and when a muslim woman in a veil came into his room to talk about her exams, he refused to discuss it with her on the grounds that he had to adhere to rules of confidentiality with regard to students' academic profiles, and as he could not identify her, he could not discuss an academic profile with her. His department backed him up.

[chazza]

why would a cashier in a bank need to identify someone by their face? The cashiers in my bank don't know me to see but I've never been refused a transaction

[osprey]

There are times when transactions over a certain amount need to be verified by more than one cashier and very often the signature is written before a cheque or withdrawal slip is produced. Under these circumstances, other identification would be required. If that person is a customer known to the bank then what is wrong with facial recognition? Additionally, when an account is opened, don't you think that the bank would be entitled to see who is actually opening an account? If not, why not? I would imagine that there is at least one female Muslim in Britain with a mortgage, for example, and I would be astounded if a mortgage was granted without facial contact at some stage.

[ganesh]

They check your face at airports, they even make you take your glasses off. I don't think muslims are exempt.

[osprey]

Additionally, if a dispute happened to arise at some later stage regarding a transcation, then facial recognition would be possible if the veil were to be removed. I see nothing wrong with it in these circumstances. Furthermore, the bank would be deemed to be responsible if money happened to be given to the wrong person, so they are simply making sure the money is being given to the right person - what is the problem there?

[claireybear]

Facial recognition is used all the time for verification purposes!

When I pick a parcel up from the Post Office they often ask to see ID, and I use my driving licence. If I was then wearing a full veil over my face there would be no point in me using that would there!

[jenstar]

Surely devout muslims aren't allowed to use standard banks anyway, because interest is a sin, or something?

[lafrancaise]

A Muslim woman who wears a veil would be accompanied by her husband if she were to go into a bank and the husband would draw the money out in his name. At customs, a female customs officer would 'identify' the veiled woman discreetly. There is no problem for a woman to unveil herself to another woman, she only wears a veil outside so other men can't see her.
I must add these women have surprisingly lovely fair skin as the harsh sunrays don't spoil it. They look younger than Muslim women who wear scarves.

[lankeela]

I noticed on the door of the Co-op tonight that it says headgear must be removed before entering!