Who dropped that story?
It was all over the news for the one day that it deserved to be news.
You're the one bringing it back because you propagated his rhetoric as commendable and there was an instant backlash so now you gotta save face lol
Women Use #DressCodePM To Ridicule Prime Minister's Anti-Niqab Comments
- Thread starter mentalfloss
- Start date
Who dropped that story?
It was all over the news for the one day that it deserved to be news.
You're the one bringing it back because you propagated his rhetoric as commendable and there was an instant backlash so now you gotta save face lol
The debate over the niqab is clearly a proxy for larger anxieties about Muslims in Canada
The debate over the niqab is clearly a proxy for larger anxieties about Muslims in Canada
Analysis
I have no great affinity for the niqab.
It’s an outgrowth of an ultraconservative iteration of Islam that I am uncomfortable with – and that precipitated my family’s immigration from Afghanistan. My mother was a reformer who fought for decades against such oppressive religious conservatism and I have never seen her wear anything heavier than a loose headscarf, and even then on only a handful of occasions.
But the niqab, as a symbol, is something I will defend.
It is clearly a proxy for many Canadians’ anxiety about multiculturalism and religious accommodation, especially as it relates to newcomers from Muslim-majority countries. And the vociferousness of the attacks against the niqab compel me to speak – because to stay silent on this issue is to excuse a larger climate of anti-Muslim rhetoric that is becoming harder and harder to ignore.
The latest person to add his voice to to the niqab debate is Conservative MP Larry Miller, who this week demanded those who refuse to remove their veils while swearing citizenship oaths “stay the hell where they came from.”
Miller apologized once his remarks, made on a local Ontario radio show, were widely reported. But it’s hard not to see his outburst as part of a pattern.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has used strong language to denounce the niqab in citizenship ceremonies, calling it “offensive” and suggesting the garment itself is “rooted in a culture that is anti-women.”
Others in the prime minister’s inner circle have been just as forceful in their rhetoric, albeit imprecise. Defence Minister Jason Kenney tweeted misleading images of veiled girls in chains, supposedly sex slaves being sold by ISIS fighters (they actually depicted a Shia religious ceremony that re-enacts the persecution of the Prophet Muhammad’s descendants). Immigration Minister Chris Alexander sent out an email to supporters in which he confused the niqab with the hijab, the headscarf that leaves the face completely uncovered.
The sudden obsession in Ottawa with all things Islam is not happening in a vacuum.
According to a recent Ekos poll for iPolitics, 46% of Canadians now think there are “too many immigrants” coming to Canada, and almost as many, 41%, say there are too many immigrants who are visible minorities.
There has also been an apparent uptick in vandalism of Islamic community centres and other acts of intimidation. The European anti-Muslim group PEGIDA now has a foothold in Quebec, and just last month there was the outrageous example of a Montreal judge refusing to hear a woman’s case unless she removed her hijab.
A woman who chooses to wear a niqab. Get over it, Canada. Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz
The debate over the niqab is clearly a proxy for larger anxieties about Muslims in Canada
The debate over the niqab is clearly a proxy for larger anxieties about Muslims in Canada
Analysis
I have no great affinity for the niqab.
It’s an outgrowth of an ultraconservative iteration of Islam that I am uncomfortable with – and that precipitated my family’s immigration from Afghanistan. My mother was a reformer who fought for decades against such oppressive religious conservatism and I have never seen her wear anything heavier than a loose headscarf, and even then on only a handful of occasions.
But the niqab, as a symbol, is something I will defend.
It is clearly a proxy for many Canadians’ anxiety about multiculturalism and religious accommodation, especially as it relates to newcomers from Muslim-majority countries. And the vociferousness of the attacks against the niqab compel me to speak – because to stay silent on this issue is to excuse a larger climate of anti-Muslim rhetoric that is becoming harder and harder to ignore.
The latest person to add his voice to to the niqab debate is Conservative MP Larry Miller, who this week demanded those who refuse to remove their veils while swearing citizenship oaths “stay the hell where they came from.”
Miller apologized once his remarks, made on a local Ontario radio show, were widely reported. But it’s hard not to see his outburst as part of a pattern.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has used strong language to denounce the niqab in citizenship ceremonies, calling it “offensive” and suggesting the garment itself is “rooted in a culture that is anti-women.”
Others in the prime minister’s inner circle have been just as forceful in their rhetoric, albeit imprecise. Defence Minister Jason Kenney tweeted misleading images of veiled girls in chains, supposedly sex slaves being sold by ISIS fighters (they actually depicted a Shia religious ceremony that re-enacts the persecution of the Prophet Muhammad’s descendants). Immigration Minister Chris Alexander sent out an email to supporters in which he confused the niqab with the hijab, the headscarf that leaves the face completely uncovered.
The sudden obsession in Ottawa with all things Islam is not happening in a vacuum.
According to a recent Ekos poll for iPolitics, 46% of Canadians now think there are “too many immigrants” coming to Canada, and almost as many, 41%, say there are too many immigrants who are visible minorities.
There has also been an apparent uptick in vandalism of Islamic community centres and other acts of intimidation. The European anti-Muslim group PEGIDA now has a foothold in Quebec, and just last month there was the outrageous example of a Montreal judge refusing to hear a woman’s case unless she removed her hijab.
A woman who chooses to wear a niqab. Get over it, Canada. Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz
The debate over the niqab is clearly a proxy for larger anxieties about Muslims in Canada
Not too many immigrants. Just too many of the wrong kind. We need immigrants that have the desire to become Canadian, not try and change our laws to suit their culture.
No. It isn't. It's being manufactured as that by all political parties so that they have something to mock and ridicule each other with AND to avoid actually having to stand accountable for their policies and practices to the Canadian people who have elected them or from whom they seek election.
exactly right
yes they come to this country to escape such intolerance which they have fought against and THEN choose to support it...this is Canada's anxiety about such Muslims..... period. They KNOW it is a symbol of suppression and oppression they know better than anyone what it means and yet a small mouthy minority want to support it...why is that...
This very statement is the type of arrogance that makes it so horrendous for other Muslims. It makes it so easy for the anti-Muslim crowd to say all Muslims are mouthy, arrogant, rude, and flaunt the very country they have fled to...who needs them. Well we don't need that attitude and neither do everyday Muslims who are just like me and just like you.
Two Irishmen immigrated to America. As they debarked and were walking up the dock toward the port, they passed a ship from Poland debarking immigrants. So one Irishman says to the other "Sure, Pat, America's a lovely country, except for all these damn foreigners!"
I used to dislike the niqab. Harper showed me how wrong I was
Gerald Caplan is an African scholar, former NDP national director and a regular panelist on CBC’s Power and Politics.
The first time I saw a woman wear a niqab was many years ago when I was driving through rural northern Nigeria. She was completely enveloped from head to toe in heavy black clothing. Only a thin slit for her eyes were visible. This was, I learned, a burka, an extreme form of the niqab, and I still recall all these years later how revolted I was by the sight of a woman who, it seemed to me, was wearing her own solitary confinement. Until now, no one had ever persuaded me that any woman would freely chose to disappear into that suffocating prisoner’s uniform.
Whether burka or niqab, I’ve never failed since to recoil when I’ve seen a woman wearing either. In Canada, to be sure, it’s an extremely rare sighting, but I’ve continued to believe that no woman would ever shroud herself like that by her own volition.
Thanks to the singular cruelty and political opportunism of our prime minister, I’ve just learned that I was spectacularly wrong.
Out of 35 million people in Canada, Stephen Harper has chosen to single out for verbal abuse one lone, niqab-wearing Mississauga woman, Zunera Ishaq. Her only offence is choosing to wear her niqab at her Canadian citizenship swearing-in ceremony, as is her legal right. The Prime Minister has spoken of her often, but never to her.
What he has done – this great authority on the Muslim religion – is to slander an entire “culture” as “anti-woman.” What he’s done is to unleash his caucus to join the piling-on of this one woman – “stay the hell where you came from” – even if they then pretend to apologize. She is defenseless; he bullies her from his privileged place in the House of Commons while his mindless minions stand and cheer. The court ruling that there’s no law prohibiting her from wearing her niqab at a the citizenship ceremony is unambiguous; Mr. Harper is challenging it. Jason Kenney has been exposed for peddling misleading photos of women in niqabs; he has not apologized. And all of this scapegoating, this character assassination of one woman, is being done for the crassest of political purposes.
Here’s the silver lining, though. Some media have finally decided to introduce real, live niqabis to their audiences. And what a remarkable group they’ve proved to be.
In the past few days I’ve met through media five Muslim women, four of whom are veiled. Anna Maria Tremonti, host of CBC’s The Current, interviewed two women who wear the niqab and one who no longer does. The Toronto Star carried an article by Zunera Ishaq herself. And The Tyee posted an open letter to Mr. Harper by another woman wearing a niqab, Aysha Luqman-Pandor from Pickering, Ont.
These glimpses are revelatory. They destroy every single assumption I made, in my ignorance, about niqabis. I strongly urge everyone to check out these sources for themselves. Given the government’s hysterical fear-mongering, we all owe it to ourselves to know these women better. We can safely assume that no member of the government ever has done so, or how could Jason Kenney, another renowned authority on Islam, dare say that face coverings are a “pre-medieval” tradition “that has been imposed on some women.”
In real life, you’ll find here no sign of a woman who’s being submissive or who has been oppressed. On the contrary, you’ll find five women all of whom are thoughtful, independent and articulate to the point of eloquence.
Here’s what else they have in common.
They all are or intend to be Canadians – proud Canadians.
They all take their religion very seriously.
They all chose by themselves to wear the niqab, even when a husband or father tried to dissuade them.
Those who wear it say the niqab brings them closer to their religion and their god.
All readily remove their niqab when required for practical or official purposes.
Every one of them insists she never encountered any trouble when wearing their niqab–until the prime minister of Canada chose, out of the blue, to make trouble for them all.
Here’s from the unintimidated Zunera Ishaq:
“I am not looking for Mr. Harper to approve my life choices or dress… “To me, the most important Canadian value is the freedom to be the person of my own choosing. To me, that’s more indicative of what it means to be Canadian than what I wear.”
And from Aysha Luqman-Pandor in Pickering:
“I’m not here to state a ruling on whether the veil is mandatory in my faith or not, I’m here simply to say it is mandatory for me, and I choose to observe it…”
“I am fortunate that I was born into this great land. I am free to learn, to practice what I learn and to teach it to others.”
These women all understand the best of Canadian values even as the PM shamelessly distorts and undermines them. They also understand why they’re suddenly in the limelight. As one of the CBC panelists put it: Stephen Harper “is just playing politics with this.”
The politics of the lowest road possible.
I used to dislike the niqab. Harper showed me how wrong I was - The Globe and Mail
Gerald Caplan is an African scholar, former NDP national director and a regular panelist on CBC’s Power and Politics.
The first time I saw a woman wear a niqab was many years ago when I was driving through rural northern Nigeria. She was completely enveloped from head to toe in heavy black clothing. Only a thin slit for her eyes were visible. This was, I learned, a burka, an extreme form of the niqab, and I still recall all these years later how revolted I was by the sight of a woman who, it seemed to me, was wearing her own solitary confinement. Until now, no one had ever persuaded me that any woman would freely chose to disappear into that suffocating prisoner’s uniform.
Whether burka or niqab, I’ve never failed since to recoil when I’ve seen a woman wearing either. In Canada, to be sure, it’s an extremely rare sighting, but I’ve continued to believe that no woman would ever shroud herself like that by her own volition.
Thanks to the singular cruelty and political opportunism of our prime minister, I’ve just learned that I was spectacularly wrong.
Out of 35 million people in Canada, Stephen Harper has chosen to single out for verbal abuse one lone, niqab-wearing Mississauga woman, Zunera Ishaq. Her only offence is choosing to wear her niqab at her Canadian citizenship swearing-in ceremony, as is her legal right. The Prime Minister has spoken of her often, but never to her.
What he has done – this great authority on the Muslim religion – is to slander an entire “culture” as “anti-woman.” What he’s done is to unleash his caucus to join the piling-on of this one woman – “stay the hell where you came from” – even if they then pretend to apologize. She is defenseless; he bullies her from his privileged place in the House of Commons while his mindless minions stand and cheer. The court ruling that there’s no law prohibiting her from wearing her niqab at a the citizenship ceremony is unambiguous; Mr. Harper is challenging it. Jason Kenney has been exposed for peddling misleading photos of women in niqabs; he has not apologized. And all of this scapegoating, this character assassination of one woman, is being done for the crassest of political purposes.
Here’s the silver lining, though. Some media have finally decided to introduce real, live niqabis to their audiences. And what a remarkable group they’ve proved to be.
In the past few days I’ve met through media five Muslim women, four of whom are veiled. Anna Maria Tremonti, host of CBC’s The Current, interviewed two women who wear the niqab and one who no longer does. The Toronto Star carried an article by Zunera Ishaq herself. And The Tyee posted an open letter to Mr. Harper by another woman wearing a niqab, Aysha Luqman-Pandor from Pickering, Ont.
These glimpses are revelatory. They destroy every single assumption I made, in my ignorance, about niqabis. I strongly urge everyone to check out these sources for themselves. Given the government’s hysterical fear-mongering, we all owe it to ourselves to know these women better. We can safely assume that no member of the government ever has done so, or how could Jason Kenney, another renowned authority on Islam, dare say that face coverings are a “pre-medieval” tradition “that has been imposed on some women.”
In real life, you’ll find here no sign of a woman who’s being submissive or who has been oppressed. On the contrary, you’ll find five women all of whom are thoughtful, independent and articulate to the point of eloquence.
Here’s what else they have in common.
They all are or intend to be Canadians – proud Canadians.
They all take their religion very seriously.
They all chose by themselves to wear the niqab, even when a husband or father tried to dissuade them.
Those who wear it say the niqab brings them closer to their religion and their god.
All readily remove their niqab when required for practical or official purposes.
Every one of them insists she never encountered any trouble when wearing their niqab–until the prime minister of Canada chose, out of the blue, to make trouble for them all.
Here’s from the unintimidated Zunera Ishaq:
“I am not looking for Mr. Harper to approve my life choices or dress… “To me, the most important Canadian value is the freedom to be the person of my own choosing. To me, that’s more indicative of what it means to be Canadian than what I wear.”
And from Aysha Luqman-Pandor in Pickering:
“I’m not here to state a ruling on whether the veil is mandatory in my faith or not, I’m here simply to say it is mandatory for me, and I choose to observe it…”
“I am fortunate that I was born into this great land. I am free to learn, to practice what I learn and to teach it to others.”
These women all understand the best of Canadian values even as the PM shamelessly distorts and undermines them. They also understand why they’re suddenly in the limelight. As one of the CBC panelists put it: Stephen Harper “is just playing politics with this.”
The politics of the lowest road possible.
I used to dislike the niqab. Harper showed me how wrong I was - The Globe and Mail
and since she is a Canadian citizen, she doesn't have to worry about the citizenship oath. However, the other woman is NOT a Canadian citizen as of yet, and I agree with Harper. She wants to be a Canadian citizen, then she conforms to OUR rules. She doesn't want to conform to our rules, then she can go back to Pakistan. Living in Canada is a privilege.
To be honest I think the leftist feminsits are kind of cottoning on to the whole gender spearation thing. I know thay are big fans of womyn-only spaces. And microagrression and stare-raping would be curtailed if they threw the bags over their heads. I'm generally opposed to the whole bag-over-the-face thing but to be honest most hardcore feminists are pretty hard to look at so I'm kinda OK with it.
She's following the most important rule there is - the law.
Guess who wants to break it?
She's following the most important rule there is - the law.
Guess who wants to break it?
You want to quote the law that states a niqab or face covering is allowed to be worn during the cistizenship oath?
You don't pass laws for things that are allowed. The assumption is, if there is no law against, it's legal. A million facepalms.
Michael Spratt: Conservatives have neither the law nor the facts on their side in the niqab debate
Edit : I have no idea how this was posted twice lol
that's ok. I deleted more than 20,000 odd characters from your ridiculous copypasta.
maybe next time you could just use the link or answer the question put to you instead of the e-diarrhea
Edit : I have no idea how this was posted twice lol
that's ok. I deleted more than 20,000 odd characters from your ridiculous copypasta.
maybe next time you could just use the link or answer the question put to you instead of the e-diarrhea
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Problem with the "facts" is that these "facts do not fit the truth of Islam. The Quran does not call for a niqab or a burqa. The truth is that the niqab and burqa are a regional custom, not a religious requirement. The truth is, that this woman has already stated that it is more about her comfort than about her religion. She has already demonstrated this by removing the niqab in public when she had her photo taken for her drivers license. The truth is, the "facts" are lies.
The Koran allows passport photos to get here but not showing your face at an immigration swearing in ceremony.