Canadian Elections/The real story about the niqab
Candice Malcolm/Toronto Sun/October 14/15
Throughout this election campaign, we have been told that Muslim women ought to be able to wear a niqab during Canadian citizenship ceremonies. We’re told it’s a religious right; that if you oppose it, it’s because you’re racist. I hope all those who defend the niqab as a symbol of freedom and tolerance, including NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, read the story I broke in Wednesday’s Sun Media papers. I reported on an incident that occurred at a citizenship ceremony earlier this summer.
A woman arrived in a niqab, eager to become a Canadian. When she was told to remove her face covering for a few minutes during the oath of citizenship she readily agreed. Her husband, however, refused to allow it.He caused a scene, screaming at officials. He insisted his wife not show her face. Those who witnessed his behaviour told me he was “abusive”and “enraged” and so angry, government officials feared for the woman’s safety. I spoke to several sources who confirmed what happened.
They expressed similar feelings — empathy and dismay for the woman, anger, bewilderment and frustration when talking about her “coercive” husband. While working on this story, I spoke to members of my own family who are Muslim, including my husband, who grew up in the Middle East. They moved to Canada when he was 12. They all told me the same thing. The niqab does not represent Muslims, nor is it a symbol of Islam.
My mother-in-law, an observant Muslim from Iran, said the niqab has nothing to do with her religion. “It is the worst thing,” she told me when I asked her about the niqab. “It is not a matter of Islam. It is a matter of a stupid husband forcing his wife.” Indeed, the niqab is no more representative of Islam than the Westboro Baptist Church — whose members picket funerals displaying horrible signs — represents Christianity. Like my in-laws, many Canadians left other parts of the world to come here for a reason.
They chose Canada because of the freedoms and opportunities available here. A recent Thompson Reuters study ranked Canada the number one country in the G20 for women. By contrast, the World Economic Forum’s global gender report ranked Iran 137 out of 142 countries. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the two most popular countries for the niqab, ranked 141 and 130 respectively. The niqab is not about choice or empowerment.
