A judge has refused to hear evidence from a Muslim woman, the wife of an Islamic extremist, because she refused to remove her veil in court
TEN Eyewitness News | December 1, 2016
Moutia Elzahed is suing police over a counter-terrorism raid on her Revesby home in September 2014, but NSW District Court Judge Audrey Balla would not allow her to take the stand while she was wearing her veil.
But she still refused to take it off.
Lawyers believe the incident is an Australian first, according to News Corp.
Ms Elzahed’s lawyer Clive Evatt argued his client was not allowed to show her face to any man outside her family for religious reasons.
Judge Balla gave Ms Elzahed the option to have the court closed while she gave evidence or to do so in another room, or via video link.
Mr Evatt then argued that the options were not suitable because male legal counsels would still be able to see Ms Elzahed’s face.
Ms Elzahed has accused police of punching her during the September 2014 dawn raid and is seeking compensation for “assault and battery, wrongful arrest, false imprisonment and intimidation”.
It is understood Ms Elzahed told reporters outside court that being told she couldn’t give evidence was “unfair”.
Authorities have denied any wrongdoing with the federal and state governments arguing that police only used reasonable force.
Her husband Hamdi Alqudsi has since been jailed for eight years with a non-parole period of six years after he was convicted of helping seven men travel to Syria to fight with Islamic rebels.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I wonder if she's really just trying to hide an awfully ugly face.
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