Australian Senator Proposes Full Face Covering Ban

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Summary: A Tasmanian senator proposed a bill banning full face coverings during times of extreme threat of terrorist attack.

The Senator of Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie has introduced a bill that would make it illegal to wear full face coverings like burqas in public starting immediately. The nationwide ban would only be activated when the country’s National Terrorism Threat Advisory System increases the chances of a terror attack to “probable,” “expected,” or “certain.”

  

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The bill would only allow the full face coverings to be worn in a public place with “good reason.” A good reason is for entertainment, work and artistic purposes. Things like helmets, niqabs, masks, balaclavas, burqas, and other facial coverings what would instill “unnecessary fear with the Australian general public would be illegal in the country. Lambie used the examples of the countries France, Turkey, and Belgium and their laws banning face coverings in public places.

Lambie also included an amendment to the 1995 Criminal Code Act, making it illegal to require someone else, an adult or child, to wear a full face covering. She is also asking the government to introduce a nationwide ban on all “identity concealing garments” except when there is a “reasonable and lawful excuse.”

Lambie explained, “Gone are the easy days of the past where we knew and trusted our neighbors and left our back doors unlocked.” She went on to say, “Full face coverings conceal the identity of the wearer, disrupting the authorities’ ability to track down a perpetrator in the event of a crime.” She believes that banning full face coverings will stop people from committing crimes and making it easier to identify suspicious people.

She does not believe that the ban limits religious freedom, arguing that the right to feel safe in public places during times of extreme terrorism is more important than religious freedoms. She also hopes it would encourage people from all backgrounds to assimilate and have “open communication.”

Do you think it is reasonable to ban full face coverings during times of extreme threat from terrorism? Tell us in the comments below.

To learn more about full face covering bans, read these articles:

• Burkini Ban Overturned in France
• France’s Burka Bikini Ban under Scrutiny
• Idiot Judge Jails Woman for Wearing Muslim Head Covering in Court

Photo: flickr.com