Head scarves

Quebec is currently trying to pass a law to ban the wearing of niqabs (the muslim head scarves that cover your entire face) if a) you work for the provincial government or b) you want provincial services.
However, the law for the “reasonable accommodation of minorities” isn’t talking about minorities in general, it’s pretty much targeting muslims alone. I personally am against this law. I’ve been sitting around, quietly disagreeing with this law, but my private musings aren’t going to do too much good if people assume my silence means acceptance. Therefore I am saying out loud (or at least electronically) that I am against this law.

To a certain extent at least. Obviously there should be times when a woman will have to expose her face, but she should be accommodated with a curtained off area, being guaranteed service by another woman, etc.
Of course I am supporting the niqab with the assumption that the woman is wearing it by choice. If the government is against it because they see it as a form of suppression, then they should dedicate their time and resources to understanding why these women wear the head scarf. Rather than banning the clothing, the government should also ensure that the women who are forced to wear the scarves have alternative options, safe havens they can flee to if necessary. If we can provide safe houses, counselling and other resources for abused women, we can surely provide it for victims of religious oppression, right?
Canada is supposed to be a haven of multiculturalism, right? We allow our RCMP officers to wear turbans, people can wear their kirpans, asian restaurants have their mini-shrines, etc. If we’re going to ban niqabs then we should ban all religious symbols including the ones listed above. And let’s not forget nuns’ habits or crosses in public spaces. Hell, to be fair, I won’t even want to see a cross hanging on a necklace! And then there’s the issue of the Lord’s prayer that’s still said in some public schools and even at the Quebec government. Now there’s a religious symbol that bothers me. I first heard the Lord’s Prayer in grade 7. I have never understood why we have a public prayer in a supposedly secular setting.

The Charest government is claiming that 94% of Quebecers and 80% of Canadians agree with the banning of the niqab. However, when the bill was first introduced, it was killed after 3 days. Phew! If this bill does eventually pass, I will seriously reconsider voting for the Liberals in the next election… But of course, my choice will also depend on how much support there is for the PQ and Conservatives.