Zunera Ishaq Religion

Politicians in Quebec have passed a controversial religious neutrality bill which would require people receiving and giving services to expose their faces and could mean that the Muslim niqab or burqa could be banned in public.

Islam is now the second most practiced religion in Canada, only behind Catholicism. Approximately one million people living in Canada identify as Muslim, making it one of the largest minority groups within Canada. Internationally, Canada can be identified as a multicultural country, known for its diversity of population and for its policies which enforce toleration for those living within Canada. The film Sharia in Canada – The Pitfalls of Diversity explores the debates around allowing for Sharia law to exist as a legitimate law form within Canada. This is a point of contention throughout various groups of people in Canada.

Multiculturalism has played a significant role in Canada, since its establishment 40 years ago. Much of Canadian society is reflective of different cultures from around the world making multiculturalism a very relevant topic to Canadians. While it can be argued that the majority of Canadians are in favor of multiculturalism, there are some who hold a different opinion. Though some critics claim that multiculturalism promotes a form of ‘hyphenated Canadianism’ that exacerbates divisions in Canadian society based on such characteristics like ethnic, minority, or immigrant status, the social advantages such as how multiculturalism is a source of

Despite having a commitment to civil liberties and freedom of religion, the practice of requiring people to remove religious garments in order to acquire Canadian citizenship suggests that people cannot maintain who they are or their religion when becoming Canadian citizens (Canadians for justice and peace in the Middle East, 2015, p.

Canada adopted multiculturalism as an official policy, which allows the value and dignity of all Canadians, regardless of their racial origins, language or religious affiliations. Plus the status of two official languages, French and English. Canada promotes multiculturalism by encouraging Canadians to participate in all aspects of life. Regardless of their background, anyone can participate in social, cultural, economic, and political affairs. Everyone is equal to one another. Everyone has the right to be heard. These rights are provided to us through our Canadian constitution and our charter of rights and freedoms. Some people come to Canada and have a history of hate towards an ethnic group. Promoting hatred is not permitted in Canada. You have the right to have your own ethnicity in Canada but you must also respect others right to do the same. Canada has experienced racial and ethnic tensions. But the majority of Canadians are fair minded. We will accept and respect them that will accept and respect us. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the freedom of religious expression. For those who are new comers to Canada, you may contribute to this country’s diversity. But you need to be prepared to live in a

With a population of over 30 million people Canada is one of the world’s largest and strongest economies, it is a very diverse and multicultural country. Canada is one of the world’s most pluralistic and active immigrant welcoming nations. Compared to every other Western democracy, Canadians are more likely to say that immigration is beneficial, and more likely to support multiculturalism and to view it as a source of pride. (The Current State of Multiculturalism in Canada and Research Themes on Canadian Multiculturalism, 2008-2010. Ottawa: Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2010.

On the international stage, Canada is often viewed as a secular and multicultural nation. Throughout the history of the country, immigrants have come to Canada seeking a country which is accepting of diversity in ethnicity, language, religion, and culture. Especially since the 1970s, when multiculturalism was introduced by former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, thus becoming an official policy of Canada, the diversity of the nation has increased greatly, (Wang & Handy, 2014, p. 1561). However, while Canada has become a more multicultural country as a whole, it has not necessarily become more religiously pluralistic. In fact, it has been argued that Canada remains and will continue to be an overwhelmingly Christian country and many immigrants

Within the Middle East, the largest population of the men and women are Muslim. The Muslim religion suggests that women wear a veil or hijab, which is a head scarf that only exposes a woman’s eyes, accompanied by a burqa which is a full body cloak. The sole purpose of the clothing is to cover a woman’s feminine features from men’s eyes. The Qur’an, an Islamic scripture, supports and slightly obligates the uniform by saying that women are to be conservative, “let them wear their head covering over their bosoms, and not display their ornaments.” (Qur’an). It could be inferred that women wear the burqa and veil willingly because of their geographical location. However, when Muslim women are withdrawn from the Middle East, and are placed

The wearing of the veil degrades women because of the negative traits we associate with the hijab. First off, in a quote from The National, under the opinion section, Faisal Al Yafai states, “The Hijab … exists as the nexis of racism, sexism, and nationalism.” Personally, I believe that because people associate the hijab with both the Middle East and the Religion of Islam, the people who wear the hijab live wrongly associated with multiple, mostly false, stereotypes. These mistaken ideas could potentially stand as the source of the traits correlated with the negative stereotypes. Secondly, Behind the Veil, a Mother Jones article, defines, “The Hijab as traditionally been a means of controlling women.” In the Middle east especially, segregation

Marriages and Family: Examining the Conflict Between the Sharia Law and Muslim Women Rights in Canada

Many would consider Canada a diverse country. These are people that come from all around the globe who bring their religions, different cultural beliefs, and practices with them. But when people try to ban religious headgear such as the Hijab our diversity goes down. Those who favor this position are going against the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the diverse people of Canada. That will also encourage other people to speak up and ban more religious items or practices. The clearest solution to this problem is that we don’t ban religious clothing or items and allow people to practice their religion in Canada.

I believe that of the most compelling arguments for religious veiling is very obviously respecting a person’s right to practice their religion. On the same note, how a person practices their religion is ultimately up to them and their own interpretation of their religion. While the veiling is not always required by the religion, it is still always an expression of faith I believe should be respected just like any other. While this is my belief, this sentiment is obviously not shared by the entire world. This can be seen in some bans of head-scarfing in some public places in some Western countries. This is negative in my view because it seems that these bans did not occur until Islamic religion started to grow in the Western world. The reason

As a child, I didn’t think my life’s situations and experiences were too different from others being a Muslim in Canada. I only came to the realization of this as I grew older. Living as a Muslim we celebrated different holidays, wore different types of clothing, and valued things differently. I grew up in Cambridge, Ontario, and only moved to Mississauga in the ninth-grade grade where I realized how much differently I was treated. It wasn’t always ignorance; they were just unknowledgeable and unaware and I couldn’t blame them as I was apart of a religious minority. I looked at the understanding of my life’s events being apart of an Islamic subculture from a conflict theorist’s perspective where social life was looked at as “privileged groups

Here in the United States, some individuals think that by wearing a hijab you are you enforcing the belief that Muslim women are being forced to wear one despite the reason that some of these women wear it’s a sign of freedom. Therefore, it appears that to some women, the veil is unjust; while other women feel it is not unjust but a decision they made on their own in dedication to their religion. Still, for many women especially the ones in Western countries, they have no choice and for that reason alone, they are being made to wear a

An individual’s identity can differ depending on several different physical and biological factors including sexuality, gender, age and class. Throughout Ruby Tabassum’s article entitled Listening to the Voices of Hijab, identity is related to gender in a number of ways. I have decided to discuss this specific article because the idea of how femininity is portrayed is a significant aspect of Canadian culture nowadays. I am also interested in focusing on how the identities of Muslim women are recognized in society and how individuals interpret the meaning behind wearing the hijab. Throughout this article, I have distinguished several different reasons for wearing