The owners of an Asian jewellery store have banned customers wearing the traditional Muslim women's veil after a raid three weeks ago by two men disguised in niqabs.
After browsing goods at ATAA jewellers in Glasgow on April 4, the pair attacked the shop owner and her friend with pepper spray before smashing a cabinet and making off with more than £20,000-worth of gold bangles.
Police are still hunting the robbers, who completed their disguise by carrying women's handbags and, in the case of one of the men, pretending to be pregnant.
The incident is believed to be a copycat of recent robberies Edinburgh, Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt and London, where apparently wealthy Muslim "women" in full headdress stole goods worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Rukhsana Sadiq, owner of the west end family jewellers, said: "If it hadn't already happened elsewhere, then we might not be taking this action. But we have to protect our staff, our customers, and our stock.
"These are people withholding their identities with the intention of committing crimes. Customers wearing the veil are rare anyway, but you have to be careful."
Shaken by the ordeal, Ms Sadiq has since banned anyone wearing a niqab from entering the store and is now planning to put a sign in the shop window underlining the message, prompting concerns that it could cause offence in the Muslim community.
Zahid Saleem, owner of Ramzan jewellers in Pollokshields said they had no plans to outlaw veils. He said: "Many of our customers wear niqabs, so just for the sake of that we won't be banning them. I'm not sure if it would harm trade or not, but it's just being disrespectful. At the very worst you could ask them to remove the face panel, that would be more suitable rather than just banning them outright.
"If someone wants to do this sort of deed, they're going to do it anyway, no matter what."
The owner of a neighbouring Asian-owned but non-Muslim jewellery business, who asked not to be named, said they would not want to act prematurely and "rock the boat".
He said: "It's not something we're really considering, because very few customers come in wearing the full veil. I wouldn't say it's an over-reaction though. It's not the first time it's happened."
The move follows previous controversies over the banning of the Muslim headdress in certain public spaces on security grounds, including a High Court ruling in England in 2007 which enabled schools to prohibit pupils from wearing veils.
Glasgow Labour councillor Hanzala Malik backed the shop's decision to turn people away who cover their faces. However, he thought that a sign may cause offence. He said: "Business people have to make a decision; do they want their customers in or not with that type of dress? I know banks will not allow their customers coming in with motorbike helmets, I don't see why it should be different for people wearing the niqab."
Humza Yousaf, director of public affairs for the Scottish-Islamic Foundation, said the Sadiqs' decision was "entirely understandable".
He added: "People have the right to wear what they want and that should be respected. But as long as things are done in a sensitive manner, safety is paramount."
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