For the past week, our court system has been tying itself in knots to accommodate a young Muslim defendant who wishes to wear the full face veil or niqab in court.
Finally, on Monday, the judge in the case ruled that while she must take off her veil to give evidence, she will otherwise be allowed to wear it during the rest of the trial.
Judge Peter Murphy then expressed the hope that Parliament or a higher court would soon ‘provide a definitive answer’, adding: ‘The niqab has become the elephant in the court room.’
.... The tragedy is that the more we allow the niqab to be accepted by our society, the more that some Muslim girls will be put under pressure to cover themselves.
The debate about the niqab and whether it should be worn in court has been the wrong one. We have failed to tackle the real issue. [MailOnline,17 September] Read more
