The Niqab & Religious Freedom

I've said before that I don't believe the niqab is a requirement for Islamic women. I've listened to observant, scholarly Muslim women who reject the niqab, viewing it as a cultural expectation and nothing more. I've also said that despite my own strong reservations about the niqab and the possibility that it is primarily a form of subjugation of women I don't support legalized rejection of this form of cultural or religious dress. The niqab does not pose a security threat and there are many ways of insuring that the persons wearing it can prove their identity.

Of course, the Quebec legislature does not agree with me and passed into law a ban on providing services to women who are wearing facial covering. While the argument is that this applies to any facial covering including a balaclava or a scarf this is so phony it hardly deserves our attention. The National Assembly passed Bill 62 with the principle resistance coming from parties farther to the right which wanted the law to be even stricter.

Now niqab-wearing Quebec women who want to ride the bus, visit the library, go for a medical check-up or meet with their child’s teacher are legally required to uncover their faces while receiving provincial and municipal government services. This is absurd. Already bus drivers are asking how this law will be enforced and what their role will be. C'mon, how many women in Quebec wear the niqab? A few hundred, perhaps?

I'm hugely disappointed in the Liberal government's acquiescence to the latent racism and Islamaophobia of a vocal segment of the population. We have seen disturbing acts of violence against Muslims in Quebec, including vandalism, rejection of an Islamic cemetery, and even murder. The current government decries these acts yet passes legislation which may not stand up to a legal challenge on the grounds of religious freedom.

The news of this decision has been reported around the world and I am ashamed as a Canadian and Christian that this has happened in a country which upholds inclusivity and diversity.

What do you think about this?