A woman in niqab, a traditional Muslim veil, was asked to leave the opera in Paris after the cast said they would not perform if a solution was not found. She had to leave the auditorium, because wearing a veil covering the whole face is banned in France.
According to Tasnim news agency, Jean-Philippe Thiellay the opera house's deputy director said the incident happened during the performance of La Traviata at Opera Bastille in Paris on October 3.
The fuss blew on Sunday, October 19, in French media.
The woman and her companion, tourists from one of the Persian Gulf states, were sitting just behind the conductor and were visible to monitors. Their seats were reportedly the most expensive in the opera, costing 231 euros ($294) each.
The woman was wearing a niqab, a veil that covers her face and hair. It only leaves the eyes and part of the forehead visible.
She was unnoticed by the opera house's personnel when she entered the auditorium. Thiellay said that he "was alerted in the second act by a singer," who spotted her in the front row.
The woman and her companion were later confronted by an inspector during the interval, who asked the woman either to unveil or to leave the performance.
source : english.irib.ir
