The Veil of Justice

Today, new blogger Wendy Faunce comments on a recent news story that confirms society's emphasis on appearance. 

The balance between religion and government is a tricky issue, especially when it comes to the case of a woman referred to as “D” by London court’s Judge Murphy. For the sake of modesty, “D” prefers to wear a niqab (pictured below).

The problem is, “D” has been called to testify in London court and the jury and judge feel that they cannot judge her testimony fairly without a full view of her face. This has resulted in many problems for the courts, but many more problems for “D” herself. It is the jury’s job to make judgments about “D’s” person based on her testimony. However, the fact that she chooses to wear a niqab already has the potential to make an immediate impression on the jury. As a result, the jury members are likely to judge her based on her religion instead of her testimony which, of course, would be unfair. More conflict has been stirred by the fact that she has been asked to remove her niqab for the entire courtroom, jury, and undoubtedly the press, to see. Because “D” has refused, awkward conversations must happen.

This occurrence left me with more questions than information. Why haven’t issues concerning niqabs in courtrooms already been settled? Surely this is not the first case in the U.K. in which a woman covering her face for religious reasons has been called to testify. What has been done in previous cases? How did the women feel about either removing or keeping it on? Did they feel that they were being judged unfairly because of removing or keeping it on?

Also, why is the fact that she began wearing the niqab last year an issue? This decision is a brave one and is an essential part of her personal belief. This decision, though it is a new one, must be respected as such. If a woman has only recently begun to wear modest clothing within the past year, does that make her less modest than a woman that has done so all of her life? Absolutely not.

I commend this woman for staying firm in what she believes to be right. Just because her niqab poses an inconvenience for the court does not mean that she should be forced to do something that compromises her personal view of modesty. The London court system should accommodate her and all women who find themselves in a situation like hers by allowing her to keep her niqab on during her testimony.