Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Saturday, October 09, 2010
British Court Orders Muslim Woman To Remove Veil, But Allows Testimony From Behind Screen
In England, according to Sunday's London Express, the Leicester magistrate's court has rendered a controversial decision by requiring a Muslim woman to uncover her face to testify in court, but permitting her to testify from behind a screen where only the judges could see her. The woman, Georgiana Richards, was pregnant and brought domestic violence charges against her ex-partner, Ismail Mangera who was ultimately found guilty of punching Richards and scrawling abusive language on her front door. Richards criticized the court for requiring her to uncover her face, while Tory MP Phillip Hollobone said the court did not go far enough and should have required Richards to testify in open court with her face uncovered.