澳警方:必要時可要求民衆摘下面紗

The government in Australia's most populous state has given the police new powers to order the removal of burqas and other face veils. The authorities say the rules will help officers during routine roadside checks if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that a crime has been committed. While Islamic organizations say they are comfortable with the changes, civil libertarians believe they give the police unnecessary powers.

澳大利亞人口最多的州政府授予警方新的權力，他們必要時可以命令民衆脫掉遮住全身的伊斯蘭罩袍和其他的面紗。當局說，如果警員有充分的理由相信有犯罪發生了，這項規定將能幫助他們進行路邊盤查。伊斯蘭組織說他們對這項改變沒有意見，但支持公民自由權利的人認爲，這給了警方不必要的權力。

New South Wales has introduced the changes following a high-profile case in which a Muslim woman accused a police officer of racism after he demanded she remove her burqa during a roadside check.

新南威爾斯州在一個備受關注的案子後作出了這項改變。在這起案子中，一名伊斯蘭婦女指控一名警員種族歧視，因這名警員在路邊盤查時要求她脫掉遮住全身的伊斯蘭罩袍。

The Sydney woman was sentenced to prison for six months for falsely accusing the officer of forcing her to remove her veil during a random breath test.

這名悉尼婦女由於虛假指控警員強迫她脫掉罩袍接受酒醉呼吸測試，所以被判處6個月監禁。

But her conviction was overturned on appeal when a judge found that the prosecution couldn't prove it was the defendant who had knowingly made a false complaint, because the officers could not see her face.

不過她的定罪後來經過上訴被推翻，因爲法官認定原先的起訴無法證明被告是故意作出假的投訴，因爲警員可能看不到她的臉。

This week lawmakers responded to the incident by passing a measure that gives police in Australia’s most populous state the ability to force people to remove face coverings, including religious garments and helmets, if they’re suspected of committing a crime.

議員在這星期通過了一項措施以迴應這起事件。這個措施使這個澳洲人口最多的州的警察在他們懷疑有犯罪情況時，可以命令當事人脫下包括宗教服裝和頭罩等會蓋住臉的東西。

The New South Wales Chief Minister Barry O'Farrell says the changes will help the police do their job properly.

新南威爾斯州首席部長奧法雷爾說，這個改變將幫助警察正確執行公務。

“What we're determined to do is give police the powers they need to establish identity in those instances where they need to do so,” he said.

奧法雷爾說：“我們決心要做的是在必要時給警察權力處理那些他們要進行身份辨識的案子。”While civil liberty groups worry that the police are being given powers they don’t need, many Islamic organizations in Australia support the changes as long as officers treat Muslim women with sensitivity.

公民自由團體擔心，警察被授予太多他們不需要的權力，而澳大利亞許多伊斯蘭組織認爲，只要警員小心對待伊斯蘭婦女，他們支持這項改變。

Jamila Hussain, who teaches a course in Sharia law at the University of Technology in Sydney, says the new laws should not offend the Muslim community.

賈米拉.候賽因在悉尼科技大學教伊斯蘭教法。她說，新法應該不會冒犯穆斯林社羣。

“If you live outside an Islamic country, then you have to obey the law of the land. And if the law of the land says that you need to remove your face veil for identification, then you should do so. And you really have no excuse for not doing so,” said Hussain.

她說：“如果你生活在伊斯蘭國家以外的地方，你就必須遵守當地法律。如果當地法律說你必須脫掉面紗來辨識身份，那你就應該要這樣做。你真的沒有藉口不這樣做。”

In New South Wales, anyone who refuses to remove their face covering will face fines of up to $6,000 or a year in prison.

在新南威爾斯州，任何人如果拒絕摘下遮住臉的面紗，將會面臨最高6000元的罰款或一年監禁。

The Western Australian state government is considering introducing similar legislation.

西澳大利亞州政府目前也在考慮提議通過類似的法律。