Last Updated:
February 7, 2012

Signin or Signup to submit Article
Home » Niqab Ban
Posts tagged "Niqab Ban"

Author chronicling Islam in Canada says Que. becoming uncomfortable for Muslims

by Asad on May 3, 2010 Burqa, Canada, Islam, Muslims, Niqab Ban, North America, Women • Comments Closed • , , , , ,

The niqab flickered briefly for Sheema Khan as the logical next step in her effort to rediscover Islam.

The Muslim face covering, which reveals only the eyes, appealed to the then Harvard grad student as a symbol of piety and fidelity to the religion increasingly asserting itself in her life.

But Khan’s experiment with the niqab lasted only a few hours and she settled instead on the hijab.

“I tried it and I hated it,” says the author of “Of Hockey and Hijab: Reflections of a Canadian Muslim Woman.”

“I couldn’t breathe.”

Yet her own unwillingness to don the niqab hasn’t stopped her from offering a biting critique of the Quebec government’s proposed law that would prevent women wearing the covering from receiving government services.

“It’s abominable,” Khan says. “I can’t believe this is Canada.” (more…)

Views : 79

Barcelona plans Islamic veil ban

by Abdullah on Jun 14, 2010 Europe, Islam, Muslims, Niqab Ban, Women • Comments Closed • , , ,

Lawmakers in Belgium recently approved a draft law to ban the wearing of the Muslim full-face veil in public places

Barcelona plans to be the first large city in Spain to ban the use of the full-face Islamic veil in public buildings, its mayor announced Monday.

Jordi Hereu said he will sign a decree which will apply in all public spaces such as the city hall and municipal covered markets and creches.

“It should not be possible that someone enters into a place without being identified,” the Socialist mayor said.

He said the measure is not aimed at “any particular religious group” and would also apply to people wearing crash helmets and balaclavas.

Two other towns in the northeastern region of Catalonia, Lerida and El Venrell, have recently imposed bans on the use of the Islamic veil in public buildings.

Two more, Tarragona and Gerona, are considering similar measures, as is Coin in the southern region of Andalucia.

Spain’s conservative opposition Popular Party has said it plans to present a proposal in Catalonia’s regional parliament to ban the full-face veil in public places throughout the region.

Authorities in 11 mosques in Catalonia have vowed to challenge the bans in Spain’s Constitutional Court.

Immigration from Muslim countries has grown dramatically in Spain since the 1990s, with Catalonia in particular being home to a large community of Pakistani origin.

There are now about one million Muslims among Spain’s population of 47 million.

Last month, lawmakers in Belgium approved a draft law to ban the wearing of the Muslim full-face veil in public places, including streets — creating a controversial first for Europe, although it is still subject to a senate vote.

Debate is raging in France as well, where the cabinet has approved a draft law to ban the Muslim full-face veil from public spaces, opening the way for the text to go before parliament in July.

Views : 46

Burqas, hijabs, niqabs, oh my!

by ali on Apr 1, 2010 Burqa, Canada, Niqab Ban, Quebec • Comments Closed • , , ,

Law 94 is veiled identity politics

By Sana Saeed
Published: 6:00 am

CORRECTION APPENDED

I suppose it’s time to address the rather large and noisy elephant floating between the margins of Aristotle’s lackey.

Law 94.

Just last week, the National Assembly passed a law banning the niqab from such critical public spaces as universities, government offices, daycares, and hospitals receiving government funding. The support for the ban has been strong throughout Canada, with an 80% approval rating according to a survey conducted by Angus Reid. Criticisms have been sparse, coming primarily from an unsure Muslim community, various lawyers, scattered academics, and select university papers.

But the general discussion on this matter has just been a mess, with a near complete avoidance in English-speaking Canada of the question of the role of identity. Given the provincial nature of this legislation, however, I will limit my discussion to Quebec.

As mentioned briefly in an article last month by Sheetal Pathak (“Muslim women don’t need saving from themselves,” Commentary, March 18), the Canadian Muslim community is itself divided on this issue. Unlike the hijab, there’s no real consensus on the status of the niqab. A small minority see it as an obligation – or at the very least, the superior form of the modesty principle prescribed by Islam.

While this debate is legitimate, it’s irrelevant to the issue at hand – the discussion on the matter within the Muslim community needs to move beyond the question of necessity. If there are women who believe it is their religious obligation to wear the niqab while living in North America, then that choice must be respected. (more…)

Views : 56

French police fine Muslim driver for wearing veil

by Abdullah on Apr 24, 2010 France, Islam, Muslims, Niqab Ban, Protest, Security, Women • Comments Closed • , , , ,

The woman, who has not been named, has spoken to French media

The woman, who has not been named, has spoken to French media

A French Muslim woman has been fined for wearing a full-face veil while driving a car.

 

Police in the western city of Nantes said the veil – which showed only her eyes – restricted her vision and could have caused an accident.

The woman’s lawyer says they will appeal against the decision, which he described as a breach of human rights.

The incident follows months of intense debate in France about whether the veils should be banned.

Earlier this week, President Nicolas Sarkozy ordered parliament to debate a law banning women from wearing full-face Islamic veils in public.

‘Safety risk’

After stopping the 31-year-old woman – who has not been named – police asked her to raise her veil to confirm her identity, which she did.

They then fined her 22 euros ($29; £19), saying her clothing posed a “safety risk”.

“This fine is not justified on road safety grounds and constitutes a breach of human and women’s rights,” her lawyer, Jean-Michel Pollono, told AFP news agency. (more…)

Views : 42

In the name of human rights, France should not ban the veil

by Abdullah on Jun 3, 2010 France, Islam, Muslims, Niqab Ban, Women • Comments Closed • , , , ,

There’s a misguided race to ban the face-veil in Europe, and France is taking the lead.

On May 19, the French cabinet approved legislation to ban women in France from wearing full Islamic face-coverings, the burqa, and niqab, in public areas. France, which contains Europe’s largest Muslim population, has been headed in this direction for a while.

In 2004, the government banned students and staff from wearing veils in schools. At that time, the rationale was French secularism. This time, as French President Nicolas Sarkozy says, the rationale for the ban is that it saves women from “subservience and debasement.”

But banning women from wearing a veil trespasses on their rights as much as the repressive restrictions that force them to wear a veil.

Historical precedents show that many Muslim women who veil choose to do so. In 2003 when some German states began banning head scarves in the classrooms, the teachers opted to retire instead, stating that wearing a head covering was their personal preference.

Turkey had a series of formal and informal bans, which culminated in the 1990s. But by 2008, thanks to backlash, the government was forced to introduce a constitutional right to wear the veil. (more…)

Views : 42

Proposed ban on Muslim veil stirs controversy in Quebec

by Abdullah on Jun 12, 2010 Canada, Islam, Muslims, Niqab Ban, Women • Comments Closed • , , , ,

A proposed ban in Quebec's public service against the niqab, a veil worn by some Muslim women, stirred up fierce debate

A proposed ban in Quebec’s public service against the niqab, a veil worn by some Muslim women, stirred up a fierce debate this week in the mostly French-speaking Canadian province.

Widely supported in Canada, Bill 94 would require Quebec public servants and anyone accessing a provincial government service to show their face.

But Indian-Canadian Tasneen Mughal, who wears the veil, says it is “an attack on Muslims.”

She told AFP she would rather leave Quebec with her husband and their two children and move to neighboring Ontario province than give up her niqab.

The 27-year-old woman, born in Montreal, is among 100 or so women in Quebec who have garnered much attention for wearing a niqab as committee hearings are held in Quebec City on the bill that is expected to become law.

“People should be seen… in order to identify a person, for security reasons,” Quebec Justice Minister Kathleen Weil said of her brainchild.

Louise Beaudoin, spokeswoman for the opposition Parti Quebecois, would like the law to go even further.

“For the rest of Canada, multiculturalism is a virtue,” she said. “For us, it’s different. We try to find a way to all live with one another, without a return to segregated communities (or ethnic ghettos).” (more…)

Views : 35

Quebec bans niqab

by Asad on Mar 25, 2010 Burqa, Canada, Islam, Muslims, Quebec, Security, Terrorism, Women • Comments Closed • , , ,

All I have to say about this is the same thing I had to say here: This will cause an international uproar, with mountains of blather about intolerance. Few, if any, in the mainstream media will note how severely the rights of non-Muslims are restricted in Saudi Arabia and in Sharia states in general, and few, if any, will even entertain the notion that France has a right to stand up for its cultural integrity and set some standards accordingly.

“Niqab for Muslim women banned in Canadian province,” from IANS, March 25 (thanks to Block Ness):

TORONTO: After France, Muslim women have been banned from wearing niqab in Canada’s French-speaking Quebec province.A bill tabled Wednesday will not allow government services to women wearing the niqab.

The bill comes after protests triggered by an Egyptian immigrant’s refusal to remove her niqab in her French languages classes in Montreal, forcing the school and the provincial government to throw her out.

The college says the Muslim woman was given the front seat in the class so that all male students sat behind her. She was even allowed to make presentations from the rear of the classroom with her back to the class which had three male and 17 female students.

However, students and the college authorities were shocked when one day the woman asked male students to move away from her and refused to sit with them around a U-table to converse and learn French pronunciation.…

The government last week ordered that every niqab-clad woman must uncover her face to confirm her identity when applying for her medicare card. Wednesday’s bill will be the first such step in North America to curtail any religious dress.

According to the bill, women seeking medical and auto insurance services will have to remove their veil, adding that face coverings will not be tolerated in people’s dealings with government officials.

Speaking to the media, Quebec premier (equal to chief minister in India) Jean Charest said the step was needed for maintaining gender equality and secular character of public institutions.

“This (bill) is a symbol of affirmation and respect – first of all, for ourselves, and also for those to whom we open our arms. This is not about making our home less welcoming, but about stressing the values that unite us.

“An accommodation cannot be granted unless it respects the principle of equality between men and women, and the religious neutrality of the state,” the premier said….

 Posted by Robert on March 25, 2010 11:04 AM

Views : 42

Quebec bill would ban niqabs to all receiving government services

by ali on Mar 25, 2010 Burqa, Canada, Islam, Jobs, Niqab Ban, Quebec, Security • 1 Comment • , , , ,
Views : 100

Quebec lifts the face veil

by Abdurrahman on Mar 25, 2010 Burqa, Islam, Niqab Ban, Quebec, Women • Comments Closed • , , , ,
Views : 68

Student files rights case over Quebec niqab ban

by sufisahab on Mar 25, 2010 Burqa, Canada, Islam, Muslims, Quebec, Security, Terrorism, Women • 1 Comment • , , ,
head scarfAfter demands escalate, woman gets ultimatum: Drop class or headwear
Jonathan Montpetit The Canadian Press

 

MONTREAL–After months of balancing a woman’s religious beliefs with her desire to learn French, the Quebec government stepped into her classroom to offer an ultimatum: take off the niqab or drop the course.

The woman opted to keep her Islamic face-covering and has filed a human rights complaint against the government.

In a province where the government frequently faces accusations of doing too much to accommodate minorities, these actions have prompted a fair bit of praise.

The woman began taking a French course designed for immigrants at a Montreal college in February 2009 but she refused to remove her niqab while men were present.

The college was initially willing to accommodate her, but eventually balked as her demands escalated.

According to a report in Montreal’s La Presse newspaper, she was allowed to give a presentation with her back to the class and asked men to move so they wouldn’t face each other.

The breaking point occurred when the woman again refused to take off the niqab, though teachers had stressed it was essential they see her face to correct her enunciation and facial expressions.

In what appears to be a highly unusual move, provincial Immigration Minister Yolande James intervened. Officials from her department, acting with the minister’s knowledge, met with the woman to discuss her options. (more…)

Views : 56

Save The Flood Victim

______________________

Musfiras World
Hilal Technology

Evluate your Link


URL:

Enter a long URL to make tiny:


Follow ustaadkhan on Twitter
Locations of visitors to this page

© 2010 UstaadKhan Articles. All Rights Reserved.

Designed by Templatic