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21/06/10
11:01
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Veiled threat
NIGEL ADLAM
June 21st, 2010
A MUSLIM woman has complained after allegedly being told to remove her face veil during a job interview at a Territory hospital.
Territory Anti-Discrimination Commission officers have launched an investigation.
Acting commissioner Lisa Coffey has refused to discuss the case - or even confirm that a complaint had been lodged.
But the Northern Territory News understands the young woman went for an administration job at Royal Darwin.
A doctor asked her to remove her veil during the interview.
She refused - and filed an official complaint.
The case comes at a time when several western countries are following France's lead in banning the wearing of the hijab in public.
The doctor is believed to have engaged a lawyer to represent him.
Discriminating against someone because of their religion is illegal.
But whether insisting a Muslim woman remove her hijab is discriminatory has not been tested in the Territory.
NT Islamic Society president Adil Jamil said less than 2 per cent of Territory Muslim women wore a veil.
He said it was considered "offensive" to ask a woman to take off her hijab.
"It's against their religious beliefs," he said. "It can seriously hurt their inner self.
"Under traditional Islamic view, a woman cannot show her face to any man except her husband and male relatives."
Mr Jamil said there were about 2000 Muslims in the NT from 23 countries.
Three-quarters of them are of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indonesian heritage.
Mr Jamil said a few Territory-born Muslim women wore a veil.
"They see it as reinforcing their religious beliefs and inner satisfaction," he said.
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2010/06/21/157541_ntnews.html
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