Should Muslim Women Cover Their Faces In Public?

Georgia Rep Introduces Bill To Restrict Use Of Burqas And Veils In Public

"... concerns of the rise of Islamic terrorism ..."

by Scott Mason November 17, 2016 at 10:18am

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With nearly two months before the Georgia legislature heads back to session, one lawmaker has proposed a new bill that could restrict the rights of Muslim women to wear burqas and veils in public.

House Bill 3, written by state Rep. Jason Spencer, R- Woodbine, wouldn’t just prohibit Muslim women from wearing burqas or veils in state driver’s license photos, a rule the Department of Driver Services already has, but it would also ban them from covering their faces while driving and possibly while on any public property.

The bill’s specific language says, “For the purposes of this subsection, the phrase ‘upon any public way or property’ includes but is not limited to operating a motor vehicle upon any public street, road, or highway.”

Spencer claims the bill only applies to drivers’ licenses and drivers, but the bill’s critics are not convinced and believe it is discriminatory against Muslim women.

“You go to get a driver’s license; you already have to show your face. Muslim women already do that no problem,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, Georgia Council on American Islamic Relations.

“That makes the law unnecessary and it’s also unnecessary for the law to go further and require you to show your face when you are in public minding your own business,” Mitchell said. “It’s completely unnecessary. It’s blatantly targeting a religious minority.”

Spencer claims the bill isn’t discriminatory, but rather a necessary public safety measure.

“This bill is simply a response to constituents that do have concerns of the rise of Islamic terrorism, and we in the State of Georgia do not want our laws used against us,” Spencer said.

The Georgia rep added that there is already a mask bill in place in Georgia and his bill just adds to that.

He said his constituents fear masked Islamic terrorists.

The anti-masking statute, which the new bill would amend, was first passed decades ago to target the Ku Klux Klan and its white hoods.

Spencer said he also has public safety concerns regarding the covering of faces in public.

“Number one, you’re not a public safety risk by blocking and obstructing your vision while on the road, but also that you’re identifiable to law enforcement,” Spencer said.

Mitchell claims Spencer is using fear to curb what he sees as a constitutional right.

“The bill is a bad solution to a non-existent problem.” he said, adding that, “very few” Georgia Muslim women wear face veils, but those who do “have a Constitutional right to do so.”


What do you think?