Essay On Zunera Ishaq

Who gets to decide what is appropriate for an individual to wear during not only during the taking of oath of Canadian citizenship, but at any time in any place within the boundaries of our supposedly multicultural Canada? While this is not the first time they issues regarding dress have arisen within Canada, the case of Zunera Ishaq, drew considerable attention in 2015. In large part to the proximity to the federal election and a potential rising tide of Islamaphobia which began to permeate Canadian society. Canada may have an official policy of multiculturalism, but in practice, much is left to be desired. First and foremost, in my opinion, Canada is still, for the most part, a society governed by the ideology of a patriarchal, white, Christian European dominance, in which the “Other”, that is, anyone who does not fit this model, is “Gifted” or “Allowed” …show more content…
The ban against the niqab during citizenship ceremonies dates to January 2011, when it was introduced with little public response (National Post, 2015). Jason Kenney, the Canadian Immigration Minister at the time, said it was, “Frankly, bizarre” that women had been allowed to were niqabs and burkas prior to the ban (National Post, 2015). This kind of statement reflects attitudes steeped in racism, sexism and cultural relativism which unfortunately are still quite common in our society. The issue of wearing the niqab during citizenship ceremonies brought to the forefront issues in Canadian society with regard to gender, race and to a lesser extent class and what it means to be Canadian and who determines what is acceptable and unacceptable within our