By MOHAMMED A. ALI KHAN ARABNEWS
Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, known to be bold, has taken another rash step forward by decreeing that Muslim women who wear burqa or niqab must remove them when taking the oath of citizenship.
For most Canadians, this isn’t a major issue. While many Muslim women wear the hijab, only very few don the niqab or burqa that exposes only their eyes.
The decision, however, raises questions about how far a state should go to accommodate the minorities and how much should the minorities adjust to Canadian ways in a country that is becoming more diverse. This matter is being debated in a low key.
When French and the British settlers came to Canada they did not ditch their customs and adopt those of the Aboriginal people. They tried, on the other hand, to foist their culture, language and religion on the Aboriginals. Native children were sometimes taken to English schools, separated from their families, language and culture, forced into Christianity, and hoarded in boarding schools where they were sometimes mistreated and sexually molested.
Women, and Chinese, Japanese and Sikh immigrants also suffered discrimination, but mostly in the past. In recent decades Canada has embraced diversity and a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that guarantees all Canadians equality and justice and fundamental human rights.
Immigration is among the forces that developed Canada and the United States. Now you see mosques, temples, pagodas, restaurants, and specialized shopping malls everywhere, and nobody considers that unusual.