Why is the niqab an election issue? Q & A with professor Aisha Ahmad
“…My wardrobe has fallen under increased scrutiny, as part of a toxic discourse that is pitting Canadians against their own neighbours,” says Ahmad.
Quebec is the the only province requiring Muslim women who wear a niqab to unveil their faces when delivering public services as employees of the government, or receiving them as citizens.
But Prime Minister Stephen Harper has increasingly been voicing his support for the law outside of Quebec – sparking heated debates in the public discourse and gaining ground as an election issue.
U of T News spoke to Aisha Ahmad about the significance of the niqab for Muslim women and her thoughts on the proposed law.
Ahmad is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Toronto, specializing in international security. She has conducted extensive field research on Islamic extremist groups in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia.