Full Face Veils In Canada Research Paper

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Voters in Quebec, Canada recently voted to ban a specific type of religious clothing when citizens choose to use public services like the bus system or local libraries. The area had some issues with Muslim women appearing in public wearing full-face veils, which are called "niqab." They take the headscarf one step further as they bridge the gap between the scarf and a full-on burka.

Many within Quebec see the niqab as being a symbol of the darkest side of the Muslim faith. This is a shocking sign of repression on the streets of the towns and cities. Many see "it’s a walking prison" and see no value in the link to the faith argument.

One adult immigrant shared her experiences with the veils as she came to Canada:

"As a Muslim teenager in her native Tunisia, Nadia El-Mabrouk never
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This has doubled in past years but still represents a minimal number when compared to the total population.

When we look at the issues tied to women's rights, there seem to be two conflicting ideas at play here. The first being that the face veils are a way to oppress women, so they fly in the face of efforts to make sure women have equal rights. The second idea is that the underlying concept behind women's rights should focus on their right to make choices for themselves. Supporting their rights would give them the opportunity to dress as they like, even if it seems repressive from the outside.

It is not clear from the Muslim culture if the face veils are in fact tied to women wanting to hide their faces or if they are being forced to do so by a male-dominated culture. The Muslim faith has seen its share of backlash over the treatment of women in their religion as they commonly practice female genital mutilation, honor killings and arranged marriages. It is safe to assume these are well within their religious beliefs but hardly examples of something covered by the women's rights