About the ONLY place that a niqab ban makes any kind of sense (to me) is on identification photos. What is the point of a photo I.D. if all it shows is a veil? That could be anyone under there! It's not about gender (men AND women have to uncover their face) or religion (no niqab, but also no bandannas or turtlenecks pulled up to one's ears). But to be really consistent, a head-covering ban for identification purposes would also have to include a ban on wigs and makeup***, because those too can disguise one's identity.
Related rant observation one: for my last (U.S.) driver's license photo, I was ordered to remove my GLASSES for the picture. Apparently the photo-identifying software they use has difficulty with eyeglasses. I expect if I was wearing any kind of head covering I would have been ordered to remove it too.
Related rant observation two: during a rash of bank robberies a few years back, my local bank branch put a sign on the door asking visitors to remove hats and sunglasses before they entered. Presumably we were all on camera, and they wanted to be able to identify everyone if they ever had to look over photos/recordings of a robbery. This (limited) circumstance is another where personal or religious clothing preferences might reasonably come second to public safety.
***Makeup in the west often seems to be worn for many of the same reasons as niqab in the east; my own mother says she feels naked without it. Like niqab it's typically only women who wear it, and like niqab it can cover the marks of domestic abuse. Unlike niqab though, there seems to be no connection or identification with religion.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2010-10-16 02:00 pm (UTC)Related
rantobservation one: for my last (U.S.) driver's license photo, I was ordered to remove my GLASSES for the picture. Apparently the photo-identifying software they use has difficulty with eyeglasses. I expect if I was wearing any kind of head covering I would have been ordered to remove it too.Related
rantobservation two: during a rash of bank robberies a few years back, my local bank branch put a sign on the door asking visitors to remove hats and sunglasses before they entered. Presumably we were all on camera, and they wanted to be able to identify everyone if they ever had to look over photos/recordings of a robbery. This (limited) circumstance is another where personal or religious clothing preferences might reasonably come second to public safety.***Makeup in the west often seems to be worn for many of the same reasons as niqab in the east; my own mother says she feels naked without it. Like niqab it's typically only women who wear it, and like niqab it can cover the marks of domestic abuse. Unlike niqab though, there seems to be no connection or identification with religion.