Ottawa to appeal ruling,

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says it is offensive for a Muslim woman to wear a niqab while taking the oath of citizenship and the federal government will appeal a court ruling permitting her to do so.

Mr. Harper told reporters Thursday that covering one’s face during the swearing-in ceremony is “not how we do things here.”

“I believe, and I think most Canadians believe, that it is offensive that someone would hide their identity at the very moment where they are committing to join the Canadian family,” he said.

“This is a society that is transparent, open and where people are equal, and that is just, I think we find that offensive — that is not acceptable to Canadians, and we will proceed with action on that.”

Zunera Ishaq, the Toronto woman who challenged the government’s policy forbidding the wearing of facial coverings during the swearing-in part of citizenship ceremonies, said she was upset by the prime minister’s remarks but vowed to continue fighting through the court process.

“I’m not frustrated,” she said. “I’m determined.”

A day earlier, Ms. Ishaq, the mother of three, expressed how excited she was at the prospect of becoming a citizen after a federal judge deemed the niqab ban — introduced by then-immigration minister Jason Kenney in 2011 — unlawful.

Judge Keith Boswell said the policy didn’t agree with the government’s own regulations, which require citizenship judges to administer the oath with “dignity and solemnity, allowing the greatest possible freedom in the religious solemnization or the solemn affirmation thereof.”

Ms. Ishaq, a Pakistani national and devout Sunni Muslim, said her beliefs obligate her to wear a niqab. She has said while she has no problem unveiling herself in private so that an official can confirm her identity, she draws the line at unveiling herself at a public citizenship ceremony.

About 100 niqab-wearing women are affected by the policy each year, according to evidence presented to the court.