# Airline Security -  Veils



## George Wallace (2 Aug 2010)

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.


YouTube veil video sparks airline safety probe

CBC News
02/08/2010 11:23:17 AM

LINK

*Federal Transport Minister John Baird is probing whether airlines are following the rules requiring staff to see the faces of all passengers, including those wearing veils.*

The move comes after a recent YouTube video posted by a British man. It appears to show two women in veils passing through an Air Canada check-in counter in Montreal last month who were not asked to remove their veils to check their faces against their passports.

However, there is cause for caution because the video has been heavily edited. It's not clear what happened before or after the sequence posted.

The video is shot from a side angle. A man shows up at the boarding gate with four women and hands over their passports. They go through the gate, including two of the veiled women. They're not wearing hijabs - the partial Muslim scarf - but the full veil that blocks everything but the eyes.

Baird said such actions pose a serious threat to the security of the air travelling public.

The safety and security of our operations is our number one priority.

In a statement released Monday, Air Canada said the airline is aware of the video.

"We comply with Transport Canada regulations requiring passengers to present government-issued photo ID before boarding ... and our agents are trained, to verify photo ID in a private area away from other passengers, as required for religious or medical reasons," said Air Canada spokewoman Isabelle Arthur.

Air Canada has "reminded our employees of these procedures and are also working with Transport Canada on this matter," she said.

The British man who posted the video has not yet responded to a request from CBC News for comment.

Baird said there are procedures in place to verify the identity of anyone who has his or her face covered. The approach is consistent with international standards, regardless of culture or religion.

Last year, the Canadian Muslim Congress supported legislation that would ban face-covering veils altogether, arguing the veils pose a security risk, and represented Islamic extremism.

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Note:  CBC does not provide a link to the YouTube video.


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## REDinstaller (2 Aug 2010)

And what would happen if my wife tried wearing a veil? She would be locked up for being a security risk even though she might be a practicing muslim trying to board the AC with a white guy.


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## George Wallace (2 Aug 2010)

CTV's version.  Still no link to YouTube video.


Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.


Review ordered after veiled women board flight unchecked

CTV News

LINK

*A controversial YouTube video has prompted the government to examine whether airlines are applying security measures that require staff to see passengers' faces before boarding. 
*

Transport Minister John Baird said in a statement issued Sunday that the regulations are necessary to confirm the identity of travellers and apply to all passengers, regardless of culture or religion. 

The minister ordered the investigation in response to a recent video posted on YouTube, which shows two veiled women boarding an Air Canada flight in Montreal last month without being asked to reveal their faces. 

In the video, a man travelling with the group hands over their passports and the women walk through without removing their veils. 

"If the reports are true, the situation is deeply disturbing and poses a serious threat to the security of the air travelling public," Baird said. 

The video was posted online by a British man, under the title "A major Canadian airline risks your safety, pandering to Muslim sensibilities." 

It has drawn thousands of viewers, many of whom wrote inflammatory comments and racial slurs. The video encouraged viewers to contact Public Safety Minister Vic Toews about the matter, and even published the minister's office email. 

The issue of verifying the identity of Muslim women who wear the traditional face veils -- niqabs or burkas -- has surfaced several times in recent years as security concerns take centre stage. 

Elections Canada ruled in 2007 that veiled women can cast ballots, despite opposition from Prime Minister Stephen Harper. 

The Conservative government later proposed legislation to reverse that ruling, but the effort failed to gain support among other parties. 

Meanwhile, the Canadian Muslim Congress last year endorsed legislation that would ban face-covering veils altogether, calling the veils a symbol of Islamic extremism as well as a security risk. 

The debate also rages on abroad, particularly in France, which passed a law in 2004 prohibiting students and staff from wearing veils and other religious symbols in state schools.


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## George Wallace (2 Aug 2010)

The YouTube video (Note: Flight is from Canada to UK)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAB1GffSSZc


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