Customs reviews burqa policy

1.00pm

Customs officials are reviewing the way they check the identity of veiled Muslim women as more Middle Eastern visitors come to New Zealand.

Frontline staff are increasingly having to deal with the difficult issue of matching faces to passport photographs as more women wearing burqas or veils arrive here as tourists, Customs Service air and marine manager John Secker says.

"We're considering different options of making sure that New Zealand border and immigration requirements are met, while being sensitive to the cultural issues that people have."

At present, Muslim women wearing a burqa or veil are asked to show their faces so Customs can verify their identity against passport photographs.

If the visitors will not do this in front of a male officer, they are taken to a private room with a female officer and an identity check is done there.

Mr Secker said customs staff -- who are responsible for the first face-to-face passport check on behalf of Immigration -- wanted to avoid causing embarrassment. However, situations regularly arose where women were reluctant to reveal their faces.

"It's becoming increasingly important as new Zealand gets more tourism business from the Middle East. That's one reason we're looking at it, to make sure we've got it right."

However, he said no significant change to present policy was planned, and the monitoring and review process was mainly to ensure the system was coping with the growing number of visitors.

Veils have become a controversial issue in an Auckland court case. Muslim Fouzya Salim has said she would rather kill herself than uncover her face as a fraud trial witness. Now 30, she has worn a burqa since she was 15.

"If I uncover my face then I would be in trouble with God," Mrs Salim has said. Another witness, Feraiba Razamjoo, also wants to remain veiled.

The legal argument against women wearing a burqa in court is that it would prevent the court from assessing facial expression and body language.

A decision on veil wearing is expected next month.

- NZPA