Chapeaux Off to the Parti Quebecois

English: Women's accessories for sale! ++Cafiyas and other scarves, in JLM's old city within Damascus Gate. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Separatist Parti Quebecois, which is leading in the polls right now as Quebec heads into a provincial election,

wants to ban any kind of religious clothing or jewelry in  government institutions.

That means

no hijabs, (head scarf); niqabs, (head scarf and veil); or burkas, (full body covering); 

in court rooms or government offices.

Although I do not believe the government has the right to legislate what a woman can or cannot wear in her daily life, I understand the importance of the separation of church and state.

There is no place for Sharia Law in Canada.

I like this idea and hope that it becomes the law of the land,

not just of one province.

Related articles

• Separation of Church and State
• Quebec election: Crucifix stays, but hijabs go under Parti Quebecois government, party leader says
• Jonathan Kay: The 'ethnic vote' still has no home in PQ ranks

Bra Burners on the Loose in Canada

"QWF, (Quebec Women's Federation), is always in a hurry to denounce cleavage or a mini skirt worn by an emancipated and free woman, while refusing to condemn a truly evil tool of submission as the veil, niqab or the burka."

Eric Duhaime, freelance writer, St. Catharines Standard, Oct. 14, 2010


Believe it or not, this was written under the heading, "Why Are We Funding These Bra Burners?"

Bra Burners.

I didn't know whether to be happy or frightened when I read that old put down. Happy because it means that somewhere out there women are speaking out and frightened because it means that the retaliation has begun.

Not that I've heard anyone sink that low in a few years.

Anyway, Mr. Duhaime is angry that the QWF gets some of its funding from the Status of Women, (our tax dollars at work), supports Quebec separation and is against the War in Afghanistan.

If that is true, I'm not happy with them either.

But I believe he is treading on dangerous ground when he says the QWF is not supporting Muslim women because it refuses to condemn the veil.

Common sense should tell us that faces should not be veiled in courts, airport security zones, polling booths, or in legal photos taken for identification purposes, i.e., license, health care.

But for the rest of the time, probably 99% of her day, how a woman dresses is not the business of the Canadian Government.

In that, I support the QWF.

Image via Wikipedia

Shame on You, Air Canada - A Commentary

Image via Wikipedia

Veiled Muslim women must uncover their faces at airport security checkpoints.

It's common sense and I wouldn't be blogging about it again*, except that I read that Air Canada is worried about offending people and is not bothering to match the faces behind the veils to their passport photos. (Veiled Security, Sunday Sun, 8/01/10, Brian Lilley, Bryn Weese)


The Canadian public's right to safety is what matters here. If the priority is a woman's facial modesty over the security of hundreds or even thousands of people, then veiled women should not fly.

There should be no arguing this point.

Nor should we be arguing about whether to ban the niqab altogether.

The state should not have the right to tell women how we can or cannot dress.

The greatest shame in this story belongs to Air Canada. Rather than take high road, apologize and take immediate steps to tighten security, the company threatened the whistle blower with a lawsuit after he posted a video that showed two veiled women boarding an Air Canada, Montreal to London flight, without being checked.

I think he should get a medal.

A Cover Up in Quebec?

Quebec seems on the verge of banning the niqab, though evidently there are only about a dozen women in the whole province who choose to veil themselves.

I find it a strange but somewhat romantic practice. If it had been at all common in the early 1970's when I was a young art student I might have taken it up myself on occasion. I love the look of the flowing robes and the mystery of the veil.

However this being 2010, I do find it disconcerting to see an Islamic family strolling down the street on a blazing hot day, the husband and children in cool western summer wear and the wife covered from head to foot in long robes. I have seen the same sort of thing in Mennonite communities, ordinary men standing beside wives dressed in traditional garb.

I may wish that the women didn't seem so subservient but I don't feel threatened by Mennonites. I feel more uncomfortable when I see a veiled woman. My mind immediately flies to the 'honour killings' that have gotten a lot of press in Canada recently even though I know that the number of women killed by their husbands or lovers is probably ten times higher in the general population. It is unfair and I've had to really think about how I feel about these things. Watching the Twin Towers fall changed a lot more than the landscape of New York City, unfortunately.

So here are my thoughts on the subject:

The main question that is troubling Quebec politicians seems to be whether veiled Muslim women should have to reveal their faces for things like Canadian driver's licences and passports. From what I have read it seems to have become a question of frightening political correctness.

I think that if it hadn't been for 9 11 we would probably see these Muslim women as just another interesting part of the Canadian mosaic and they would be expected to comply without question to Canadian laws or they would be deported. Obviously the Quran is open to interpretation because some women do not wear a head covering at all, some wear the hajib or headscarf and some the veil or niqab.

Women who choose the niqab must be prepared to show their faces for identification purposes. It is a no brainer and not worth a lot of fuss in anybody's legislature when there are so many real problems that need attention. However, the niqab should not be banned. Women should have the freedom to wear what they want and to practise their religion the way they want.

It's the almost-totally-free-to-do what-you-want Canadian way.