The Alberta Legislature ended the 2021 Spring Session on a particularly disturbing note. Members of the Opposition asked Jason Kenney to apologize for his role in pushing the niqab ban, a policy that contributed to growing Islamophobia, while he was a federal cabinet minister. Instead of an apology, Kenney stood
Continue readingTag: niqab
Knock it off, Tom, it wasn’t the niqab
I am a long-time member of the NDP but not, I’m afraid, a member of the Tom Mulcair fan club. I didn’t support his election to leader primarily because I’ve never believed he is a committed social democrat. He seems more of an opportunistic liberal, ab…
Continue readingIs Christ Christian? Reflections on the niqab debate.
Pondering the late unlamented election debate about the niqab, I took to wondering just what a religion is. Not the dictionary definition or what theologians say it is, but how it is practiced by its followers.
Take Christianity, for example, the re…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Where are the ‘good Conservatives,’ prepared to speak against their party’s race-baiting tactics?
PHOTOS: Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s tactics have sparked protests, but Conservatives who should know better have been astonishingly quiet. (CommonDreams.org photo.) Below: Former St. Albert MLA Mary O’Neill, Independent MP Brent Rathgeber and Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi. ST. ALBERT, Alberta The single most disheartening thing about this long 2015 federal
Continue readingwRanter.com: Cultural and religious issues dominate as election day nears
Thank God for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). I say that not because trade is an inherently Jewish issue, nor because I know for certain the recently negotiated deal will be good for Canada, especially since its details have yet to be released. Irrespective of its long-term effects, the TPP might
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Lawyers, guns and money: Russia’s intervention in Syria offers a useful teaching moment for Canadians
PHOTOS: A Russian Su-34 bomber releases a bomb near the provisional ISIS capital of Raqqa in Syria. (Russian Ministry of Defence photo.) Below: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Russia’s military intervention in the Syrian civil war has offered a unique teaching
Continue readingA. Picazo: No Scrutiny Please, They’re Saudi.
This op-ed appeared in The Ottawa Citizen on October 1, 2015. In 2014, on the shores of Lake Geneva and next to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, a lavish ceremony was held to honour the recipient of the Moral Courage Award — an annual honour bestowed by UN Watch,
Continue readingNiqab nonsense—much ado about nothing
I am no fan of the niqab. Hell, I’m no fan of religion. But if a Moslem woman wants to wear a niqab at a citizenship ceremony for religious reasons, I can’t think of a single reason why I, or the state on my behalf, should prevent her. As long,
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Niqab: In defence of Thomas Mulcair
Thomas Mulcair: Man of Principle Mr. Mulcair was asked a simple question, loaded with peril, and he answered it very clearly in the last debate on foreign affairs. His answer to the question whether he agreed with the federal court’s decision regarding the right of a woman to cover her
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Niqab: In defence of Thomas Mulcair
Thomas Mulcair: Man of Principle |
Mr. Mulcair was asked a simple question, loaded with peril, and he answered it very clearly in the last debate on foreign affairs. His answer to the question whether he agreed with the federal court’s decision regarding the right of a woman to cover her face with a niqab was Yes.
Susan on the Soapbox: A Pop Quiz for Canadian Citizens
Lost in the hoopla over whether Ms Ishaq can take the Oath of Citizenship while wearing a niqab is the fact that she actually passed the citizenship test. Which made Ms Soapbox wonder: how many Canadians, veiled or unveiled, could pass the citizenship test if they were asked to take
Continue readingsomecanuckchick dot com: These are the types of NDP candidates Thomas Mulcair stands behind…
These are the types of NDP candidates Thomas Mulcair stands behind… Intolerance Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie Alexandre Boulerice says the NDP is against the niqab! [VIDEO, en français!] Mégantic—L’Érable Jean-François Delisle says the NDP should reopen Constitution to deal with the niqab. FYI Jean-François Delisle has backed off his initial statement that
Continue readingLeft Over: Let’s Not Face the Truth….
Canadians of all stripes oppose face coverings at citizenship ceremonies: Vote Compass Conservative and BQ supporters most opposed; Liberals, NDP and Greens more mixed CBC News Posted: Sep 21, 2015 3:58 PM ET Last Updated: Sep 22, 2015 11:11 AM ET Do I think that politicians of all stripes
Continue readingLeft Over: Let’s Not Face the Truth….
Canadians of all stripes oppose face coverings at citizenship ceremonies: Vote Compass Conservative and BQ supporters most opposed; Liberals, NDP and Greens more mixed CBC News Posted: Sep 21, 2015 3:58 PM ET Last Updated: Sep 22, 2015 11:11 AM ET Do I think that politicians of all stripes
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Santa Gets Citizenship, Zunera Ishaq Does Not
Citizenship is a serious matter, right? That’s why Santa Claus is a Canadian citizen but Zunera Ishaq is not. Or to put it more accurately—that’s why a man covering his face with a fake beard and dressed in a Santa suit was officially declared a Canadian citizen by Jason Kenny
Continue readingOaths, niqabs, and respecting the rules
Immigration Minister Chris Alexander made a curious statement recently when being asked about the government’s proposed Bill C-75 which states that a person taking the oath of citizenship must “swear or affirm the oath out loud and with their face uncovered,” and furthermore, “If a person is required to take
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: The Niqab Hijab etc.. real issue.
By now, you know that a Federal Court has ruled against the Government of Canada that wanted veils/face coverings removed for the “ceremonial” part of the citizenship ceremony to become a Canadian citizen. (more specifically, niqabs, and apparently hijabs). You also know that Prime Minister Harper has decided to go
Continue readingLeft Over: A Secular Choice…..and the Right to Choose
Niqab controversy: Judge struck down ban without referring to charter Zunera Ishaq, a Pakistani woman and devout Muslim, seeks to wear niqab during citizenship oath By Mark Gollom, CBC News Posted: Mar 16, 2015 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Mar 16, 2015 5:20 AM ET An intelligent decision by this judge,
Continue readingEh Types: Mr. Harper’s Veiled Threats
What do you call a solution without a problem? If you’re Stephen Harper, you call it an election strategy. The Conservative government has been proposing solutions in desperate need of problems. That they do so at all, and the manner in which they do is ironically a big problem. Last
Continue readingHarper fails Conservative citizenship criteria
Over the signature of Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander, the Conservative Party of Canada recently emailed a petition to its supporters, rallying them against face covering during citizenship oaths. Apparently Conservative ire was raised by a Federal Court of Canada decision that struck down the ban on Muslim
Continue reading