Quebec is not a multicultural society and has never been.
While the rest of Canada likes to champion its multiculturalism, this province’s official policy has always been what it calls interculturalism. Essentially, this means that aspects of different cultures are welcome given that they do not contradict the dominant culture.
As an example of this policy in action, the Quebec National Assembly in 2005 unanimously voted against the introduction of Sharia law (the rules to a Muslim way of life), when the Ontario government of the time recommended that law be privatized and people be allowed to use Sharia law if they wished to do so.
The message was clear: Quebec has its values, and they ought to be abided by.
So why is the niqab still tolerated?
Quebec does, of course, guarantee religious freedom in its Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. But this seems to be a contradiction: how can it give every person the right to practice their religion freely on the one hand, while banning an important aspect of Islam on the other? There’s clearly a limit on this right. And it’s about time this limit be extended.
It’s important to note that despite the fact that Sharia law would have been voluntary – a couple would have had the choice between secular and Islamic law to solve their domestic disputes – the Canadian Congress of Muslim Women stood firmly behind the Quebec National Assembly.
The fact is, behind the veil of choice lies a deeper truth that many outsiders fail to see.
Coming from a religious background, I have witnessed many female friends and family being pressured by parents and peers into wearing not necessarily the niqab, but the hijab – many of them before becoming teenagers. Of course the final call was theirs, they “chose” to wear the hijab, but what can a young girl do when she’s bombarded by people she loves, people she lives with, people she goes to social and religious events with? What can a young girl do when all these social elements and more converge to tell her that she should be a good girl and cover up, or her creator would disapprove of her and she could be destined for eternal damnation? Not only that, but a girl knows she could also be destined for social rejection.
Unlike Western societies, many Middle Eastern and Islamic societies do not encourage independent thought.
The fate of Benazir Bhutto, the former democratic, secular Prime Minister of Pakistan is a well-known example of what could happen to a Muslim woman leading her own path. She was assassinated because she did not give in to the ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam and was paving the way for a new Pakistan, one with more freedom and respect for women’s rights. And it is telling that she refused to cover her face or hair.
Bhutto’s case might be an extreme one due to the presence of extremist elements in her country, but it is not unusual for Islamic societies to be numbered with ultra-conservative, judgmental and forceful people, people who cannot tolerate interpretations of Islam other than their own. A girl in an Islamic social circle might not be killed for questioning a certain view of Islam, but the real choice many Muslim women face is between social acceptance and rejection, and between supposed eternal bliss and suffering.
Multiculturalists often argue to keep the niqab legal for the sake of religious tolerance, but in doing so they fail to see that their view aids in the repression of women, and could potentially silence many a Benazir Bhutto – much needed women who bridge the gap between Islam and the West.
The niqab is in direct conflict with Quebec’s views on gender equality, and it’s high time we ban it.
- The writer has asked to remain anonymous for their safety
6 comments