Posts
(Photo by Odd Andersen AFP-GETTY)
Canada has taken the big leap, banning the wearing of the
Islamic veil known as the niqab at citizenship ceremonies.
“This is not simply a practical measure. It is a matter of deep
principle that goes to the heart of our identity and our values of openness and
equality,” Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Monday as he announced the
changes in Montreal.
“The
citizenship oath is a quintessentially public act. It is a public declaration
that you are joining the Canadian family and it must be taken freely and
openly,”
While
some Muslims consider banning the veil violates their religious rights some
other people feel it is a security risk, because some terrorists wear the full
body cloaks to hide bombs.
But
what’s next? Will shoes be banned to stop people from throwing them at
dictators such as Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Iranian news agency Mehr
reported a laid off worker, S Rashid, was beaten up by the crowd when he
expressed his discontent by tossing his shoe; he missed.
Throwing shoes is a strong expression of
unhappiness in the Middle East.
Next
thing you know Canada will at least try to discourage the use of its trademark
“eh.” The Canadian Web site Ask Men says it is the No. 1 Canadian expression.
“In short, “eh” -- the most popular Canadian expression of
them all -- is used to solicit conversation,” Ask Men reports.
Some might, on the other hand, find it odd that stories
about the citizen-niqab battle do not mention the honor code.
A Muslim Canadian is on trial now on murder charges for
killing his wife and three daughters for allegedly violating the Islamic honor
code. He says he would do it again.
“While
precise statistics are scarce, the UN estimates thousands of women are killed
annually in the name of family honor (National Geographic). Other practices that are woven into the sharia debate,
such as female genital mutilation, adolescent marriages, polygamy, and
gender-biased inheritance rules, elicit as much controversy. There is
significant debate over what the Quran sanctions and what practices were pulled
from local customs and predate Islam,” the Council of Foreign Relations
reports.
dispatch first appeared on Technorati.com
