Tuesday, October 13, 2015

The Niqab Debate

With so many other issues to address, I’m still trying to figure out why Prime Minister Stephen Harper is making a big deal about women wearing niqabs during their Canadian citizenship ceremony.

December 2001, former Minister of Immigration, Jason Kenney, banned anyone from wearing a niqab while taking their citizenship oaths.

In 2012, Zunera Ishaq was denied from becoming a Canadian citizenship because she refused to remove her niqab during the ceremony. 



She then took the issue to court. The Federal court of Canada found the Conservative government’s policy unlawful in February.

Earlier this month, Zunera became a Canadian citizen while wearing her niqab. Prior to taking her citizenship oaths, she removed it in private to prove her identity.

If Stephen Harper is re-elected on October 19th, he plans on taking this issue to the Supreme Court of Canada. He would also like to see niqabs banned for those who work as government officials.

As long as women agree to remove their niqabs to take government photo id, during court appearances, interviews and before taking their citizenship oaths to prove their identity, I don’t see the issue with them wearing it.

While I am still undecided about which party to vote for, the issue of the niqab should be the least of our country's worries.

What are your thoughts on the issue of niqabs being banned from Canadian citizenship ceremonies and for those who work as government officials if the Conservative government is re-elected?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.


Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)

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