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Updated 08 May, 2012 05:35pm

American Lawyer demands Hijab in Courtroom

Ms. Bormann is the  counsel of one of the five men held responsible for planning the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

At the indictment of the Gunatanamo Bay prisoners she demanded, that other women present inside the court should dress modestly too.

The American lawyer, Cheryl Bormann, who is 52 years of age and belongs to Chicago City, is a non-Muslim.

Cheryl said that the reason she chose to dress herself modestly by wearing the Burqa, which revealed only her face, was because of her respect for her client, Walid bin Attash’s sensitive religious beliefs.

Bormann requested the judge to order other women present inside the courtroom to dress more appropriately so as not to distract her client, who would be “committing a sin under their faith” by having to look at them.

Her request was seen to no avail as the chief military prosecutor Brig. Gen. Mark Martins judged the request as not worthy of a response.  According to him, "The women on the prosecution team are dressed in an appropriate and professional manner.”

American Air Force Captain Micheal Schwarts who is also Waleed bin Attash’s military attorney told an American website that he doubts that Chief prosecutor Martins, is completely aware of the reason that provoked Bormann to ask for such a request.

He claimed, one of the female attorneys present inside the courtroom was wearing a skirt which was deemed as completely inappropriate according to his client’s religious beliefs. He remarked that the skirt which the female attorney had put on to appear professional for the prosecution, appeared to have a hemline closer to her waist than to her knees, while she was in the sitting position, during the proceedings.

He said, “Knowing our clients' conservative religious beliefs we were concerned about their ability to really participate in the defense of their case without losing focus for fear of committing a sin under their religion.”

Borrman on the other hand has been wearing the Hijab and the Burqa whenever she is in company of her clients, taking her client’s religious beliefs into consideration.

Schwartz claimed that his client has never seen Ms Bormann dressed in a manner that would reveal her legs, arms or even her hair.

Schwartz refused to comment on the question of whether the female attorney was threatened to wear a Burqa or do Hijab.

All five defendants face death penalties; charged with 2,976 different counts of murder and terrorism in attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001.

As the trial continues, the self proclaimed mastermind of 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and his fellow suspects stage a peaceful protest inside the courtroom by refusing to respond to the judge and demanded a long and lengthy reading of the 2,976 charges pressed against them. One of them got up and started praying in the middle of the case proceedings.

The proceedings came to an angry and frustrated end as the Defense lawyer James Connell called the tactics "peaceful resistance to an unjust system."



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