Canada bans burqa at citizenship swearing in

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Canada bans burqa at citizenship swearing in

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New Canadian citizens must remove any face coverings while they take the oath of citizenship.

13 December,2011 07:16 am

New Canadian citizens must remove any face coverings, such as the Islamic niqab or burqa, while they take the oath of citizenship, the countrys immigration minister said Monday.Jason Kenney said most Canadians find the practice of reciting the oath behind a veil disturbing and said new Canadians should take it in view of their fellow citizens. He said he has received complaints from lawmakers and citizenship judges who say its difficult to ensure that individuals whose faces are covered are actually reciting the oath.The Conservative minister called the issue a matter of deep principle that goes to the heart of Canadas identity and the countrys values of openness and equality. He said women who feel obliged to have their faces covered in public often come from a cultural milieu that treats women as property rather than equal human beings.I do think that most Canadians find that disquieting to say the least, Kenney said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.Most Muslim Canadian women I know find the practice of face covering in our society disturbing, indicative of an approach to women that is not consistent with our democratic values, Kenney added.Kenney said his government would not go further by drafting laws to ban women from wearing veils that cover their faces in public. France became the first country to enact a law designed to forbid face-covering veils such as the niqab or burqa anywhere in public. Violators risk fines or being ordered to take citizenship classes.We shouldnt have the state using its power to dictate what people choose to wear in their private lives, but when there are important points of intersection with the state in obtaining state services I think its entirely reasonable for people to show who they are, Kenney said.