It shouldn’t be so complicated

Re: “No comparison between chadors and high heels” (Lise Ravary, Nov. 6)

The government should have no say in what amounts to personal choice and exercise of freedom of religion, whether in the public sector or not. The examples given by Lise Ravary are skewed. Situations should be treated case-by-case, respectfully and appropriately. If a teen is threatened by her family for different religious choices, then let her be questioned by “neutral” intervenors, the same way a sexually abused woman may be comfortable speaking only to a female officer. When did trying to accommodate people become so problematic? All instances of oppression — whether religious-based or not — should be addressed in the same way, but make sure there is a victim first. Who are we as non-Muslims or non-Jews to understand the ideals and values attached to the wearing of religious symbols? To equate certain symbols with oppression and an inability to make unbiased decisions in one’s work life is to be judgmental. As a Catholic working in youth protection, I often had to counsel pregnant girls on their options. Even though I am against abortion, I did not exclude it from their choices. That’s what being professional means. We need to have more faith in our fellow human beings and celebrate the common values we share rather than focus on what makes us different.

Carol Anne Nash, Pincourt