Laws forcing women wearing burqas to show their face when asking JPs and lawyers to witness their signature should be imposed in Victoria, the Law Institute says.
Law Institute of Victoria president Michael Holcroft said there were many situations where JPs and lawyers needed to certify a person’s identity by seeing their face. “I can understand the practical issues why identification is important, and I think as long as we remain culturally and religiously sensitive then there’s probably some support for it,” Mr Holcroft said.
Islamic Council of Victoria spokesman Nazeem Hussain said existing laws empowering police to demand anyone to remove a facial covering were sufficient. “What is clear, is that Muslims in Australia have no problem with the underlying principle to identify for the purpose of ensuring security, public safety and complying with the law,” he said.
See also Tasneem Chopra, “Why we don’t need burqa identity laws”, Herald Sun 6 March 2012