An Australian Muslim appearing as a witness in a fraud trial in a Perth court Monday complied with the judge's demand she remove her veil when giving evidence before the jury. The judge had said the jury would not be able to properly assess her evidence if they could not see her face.
The 36-year-old woman, identified only as Tasneem, had argued she should be allowed to keep everything covered except her eyes and hands. She has worn a niqab, or veil which covers the face, in public from the age of 17, removing it only when visiting a doctor or dentist, at customs in airports and when having her driver's licence photograph taken.
Tasneem, speaking before the trial, said that not dressing provocatively prevented adultery. "It's a religious thing and covering of the head is compulsory but covering of the face is something that certain women choose to do," she said. The judge ordered men other than those directly involved in the trial to leave the courtroom when she gave her evidence.
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