ENOUGH NIQAB NONSENSE: CONSERVATIVES ARE RIGHT
You should show your face when receiving Canadian citizenship, writes Mansoor Ladha.
A Muslim woman can go to Mecca for hajj — the sacred Muslim pilgrimage — without wearing a niqab, but she refuses to attend a citizenship ceremony and show her face. How hypocritical! — Mansoor Ladha.
Women are not forced by their religious or cultural beliefs to conceal their faces.
Some people probably expect me, as a Muslim, to applaud the recent decision of the Federal Court of Appeal. Zunera Ishaq, a 29-yearold devout Muslim, successfully challenged the government’s ban on the wearing of the niqab at Canadian citizenship ceremonies.
Ms. Ishaq and her supporters must be overjoyed the court has sided with them. I am pleased that the niqab has become an election issue and also that Conservatives are planning to appeal the ruling.
The niqab nonsense has been going on for quite some time and we need to put an end to it. I disagree with quite a few things the Conservatives have been doing lately, but on the niqab issue I agree with Stephen Harper that all applicants should reveal their faces when receiving Canadian citizenship.
As Harper’s Alberta lieutenant Jason Kenney recently said: “At that one very public moment of a public declaration of one’s loyalty to one’s fellow citizens and country, one should do so openly, proudly, publicly without one’s face hidden.” A person’s face shows his or her identity, and no one should be ashamed of showing one’s face in public.
Muslim scholars, imams and even niqab wearers have publicly stated that wearing a niqab is not part of the Muslim religion. Women are not forced by their religious or cultural beliefs to conceal their faces behind the niqab, and neither are they forced by anyone else, including their husbands. It is a woman’s personal and private choice.
The issue has divided the country. The pro-niqab camp argues the government has no business getting involved in what dress or outfit one should wear. In a democratic country like Canada, the government should not be dictating to anyone what or what not to wear.
Citizenship ceremonies are solemn, historic and emotional public festivals signifying Canada’s diversity and pluralism. Singing our national anthem proudly, openly and en masse is a big part of those ceremonies. No exception should be made for those who do not want to show their face, whether they’re wearing a niqab, a mask or any other face cover.
Canada is a democratic country where individual liberties of religion, free speech, association, movement and so on are respected, but there are also limitations to individual liberties. It is not proper, for example, to run naked on the streets. There are norms of public behaviour and accepted standards of conduct we have to abide by in civilized societies.
At citizenship ceremonies, people swear allegiance to the country and take oath to uphold Canada’s Constitution. It’s a serious affair, and revealing the faces of those participating is important. If it were simple, a dummy could be propped up in his or her place to obtain citizenship. Why even bother to attend?
Niqab is a cultural phenomenon practised by Muslims in the Middle East, Pakistan and some African countries. It is out of place in modern societies.
The same arguments apply when applying for a driver’s licence. Would Ms. Ishaq be allowed to have her picture taken wearing her beautiful niqab? How would a police officer determine her identity if and when she is stopped for a traffic violation? Should we also make an exception for her and other niqab-wearing women?
A friend recently talked of trying to help a Muslim youth. Due to his contacts, my friend was able to get the youth a job at a bottle depot. The youth, who had been unemployed for more than six months, had the audacity to tell my friend he cannot work there because his religion forbids him to handle alcohol bottles.
The youth was told in polite terms that his religion forbade him to drink alcohol, but nowhere was it specified that he couldn’t touch empty alcohol bottles. The youth was not satisfied with the explanation, and my friend lost interest in helping someone who didn’t have the common sense to differentiate the thin line in his religion.
I am all for the deeply rooted western tradition that protects individuals from coercive powers of the state, church or society. As a Muslim and a visible minority, I’d be the first person to safeguard and protect minority rights whenever they are trampled upon. But on the niqab issue, I am with the government.
A Muslim woman can go to Mecca for hajj — the sacred Muslim pilgrimage — without wearing a niqab, but she refuses to attend a citizenship ceremony and show her face. How hypocritical!
Ms. Ishaq, this Muslim is against you on the niqab issue.