A British Muslim woman was turned away from a parent’s night at her son’s college because she refused to remove her full face veil.

Maroon Rafique, had been invited to attend the parents evening but said she was apprehended by security staff when she entered the Manchester College.

She was told that for the security of the teachers and the children at the college there was a ban on any type of face covering. Rafique was also warned that if she did not remove her face veil (niqab) she would not be allowed onto the campus.

“I’m born in this country and British. Why should what I wear offend anyone? I didn’t want to make any fuss. All I wanted was to find out the information to help my son go to university.” Rafique told Britain’s the Daily Mail.

“I offered to sit at the back or at the front, anywhere where I wouldn’t be seen. If they thought I was going to offend anyone,” she said.

However, her protests were to no avail and finally Rafique called her husband to come and take her place at the parents evening.
40-year old Rafique has been wearing the face veil for the past seven years.

According to the Daily Mail, a college spokeswoman defended the policy but said Rafique’s concerns were being taken “very seriously.”

“At all times we need to be able to identify all individuals easily in order to maintain safety and security and therefore we ask that faces are clearly visible while indoors. Our dress code is reviewed through our quality improvement group and we will take this situation into account at the next review,” the spokeswoman said.

In March, a Muslim woman was barred from serving on a jury in the UK because she refused to remove her niqab.

The presiding judge told her that she could not sit on an attempted murder trial because her veil concealed her facial expressions.

Unlike France, Britain has not introduced a full ban on face veils.

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