Amman, June 11: Jordan's Iftaa council, which issues Muslim law, has ruled that Muslim women who wish to vote in the June 17 elections may lift their veils to reveal their faces, a decision seen as a blow to Islamists, the press reported today. Al-Rai newspaper, quoting Interior Minister Koftan Majali, said the "Iftaa Council allows women who wear the burqa veil to reveal their faces in order to confirm their identities when they cast their votes.
"This will not be considered a sin" under Islam, Majali told the newspaper. The ruling is a blow to Jordan's key opposition Islamic Action Front Party, whose leaders have recently said veiled Muslim women may only reveal their faces to women election controllers and otherwise would violate Islamic tradition. Bureau Report