Zunera Ishaq Religion

On the international stage, Canada is often viewed as a secular and multicultural nation. Throughout the history of the country, immigrants have come to Canada seeking a country which is accepting of diversity in ethnicity, language, religion, and culture. Especially since the 1970s, when multiculturalism was introduced by former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, thus becoming an official policy of Canada, the diversity of the nation has increased greatly, (Wang & Handy, 2014, p. 1561). However, while Canada has become a more multicultural country as a whole, it has not necessarily become more religiously pluralistic. In fact, it has been argued that Canada remains and will continue to be an overwhelmingly Christian country and many immigrants

Another aspect of the veil is the identity value, many women from different countries affirmed they feel that the veil is part of them; it is so important for them that “many women […] feel self-conscious, vulnerable, and even naked when they first walked on a public street without the veil […] as if they were making a display of themselves” – paragraph 22

As a child, I didn’t think my life’s situations and experiences were too different from others being a Muslim in Canada. I only came to the realization of this as I grew older. Living as a Muslim we celebrated different holidays, wore different types of clothing, and valued things differently. I grew up in Cambridge, Ontario, and only moved to Mississauga in the ninth-grade grade where I realized how much differently I was treated. It wasn’t always ignorance; they were just unknowledgeable and unaware and I couldn’t blame them as I was apart of a religious minority. I looked at the understanding of my life’s events being apart of an Islamic subculture from a conflict theorist’s perspective where social life was looked at as “privileged groups

Canada adopted multiculturalism as an official policy, which allows the value and dignity of all Canadians, regardless of their racial origins, language or religious affiliations. Plus the status of two official languages, French and English. Canada promotes multiculturalism by encouraging Canadians to participate in all aspects of life. Regardless of their background, anyone can participate in social, cultural, economic, and political affairs. Everyone is equal to one another. Everyone has the right to be heard. These rights are provided to us through our Canadian constitution and our charter of rights and freedoms. Some people come to Canada and have a history of hate towards an ethnic group. Promoting hatred is not permitted in Canada. You have the right to have your own ethnicity in Canada but you must also respect others right to do the same. Canada has experienced racial and ethnic tensions. But the majority of Canadians are fair minded. We will accept and respect them that will accept and respect us. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the freedom of religious expression. For those who are new comers to Canada, you may contribute to this country’s diversity. But you need to be prepared to live in a

Politicians in Quebec have passed a controversial religious neutrality bill which would require people receiving and giving services to expose their faces and could mean that the Muslim niqab or burqa could be banned in public.

Multiculturalism has always been perceived as one of the integral components of Canadian Culture . Under the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, Canadian citizens are free to exercise their religious and cultural practices . However, niqab ban takes effect in some public aspects of Canada . Supporters of the ban believes that wearing niqab is not a part of the Canadian Culture and should be banned in order to free Muslim Women from oppression . Niqab ban, however, infringes on the religious and cultural freedom instilled in the Canadian Multiculturalism Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom and is unlawful . A careful examination on Canadian culture and laws, the origins and arguments of the ban, and its implications is needed in order to further understand the issue.

Multiculturalism has played a significant role in Canada, since its establishment 40 years ago. Much of Canadian society is reflective of different cultures from around the world making multiculturalism a very relevant topic to Canadians. While it can be argued that the majority of Canadians are in favor of multiculturalism, there are some who hold a different opinion. Though some critics claim that multiculturalism promotes a form of ‘hyphenated Canadianism’ that exacerbates divisions in Canadian society based on such characteristics like ethnic, minority, or immigrant status, the social advantages such as how multiculturalism is a source of

With a population of over 30 million people Canada is one of the world’s largest and strongest economies, it is a very diverse and multicultural country. Canada is one of the world’s most pluralistic and active immigrant welcoming nations. Compared to every other Western democracy, Canadians are more likely to say that immigration is beneficial, and more likely to support multiculturalism and to view it as a source of pride. (The Current State of Multiculturalism in Canada and Research Themes on Canadian Multiculturalism, 2008-2010. Ottawa: Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2010.

Living behind the veil may be all the women of Saudi Arabia know, some may be comfortable with it, others afraid of the consequences they will face for not wearing it. Either way they do not have much of a choice since they are constantly chaperoned around by a male guardian know as a “mahram”, according to theweek.co.uk 4 “The guardian is often a male relative and will accompany women on all their errands, including trips and visits to the doctor”. Can you imagine having to go

The wearing of the veil degrades women because of the negative traits we associate with the hijab. First off, in a quote from The National, under the opinion section, Faisal Al Yafai states, “The Hijab … exists as the nexis of racism, sexism, and nationalism.” Personally, I believe that because people associate the hijab with both the Middle East and the Religion of Islam, the people who wear the hijab live wrongly associated with multiple, mostly false, stereotypes. These mistaken ideas could potentially stand as the source of the traits correlated with the negative stereotypes. Secondly, Behind the Veil, a Mother Jones article, defines, “The Hijab as traditionally been a means of controlling women.” In the Middle east especially, segregation

We should feel proud, rather than uncomfortable, when we see veiled women. It shows us that we live in a society that is tolerant and open-minded enough to allow people to follow their religious practices in peace.

I believe that of the most compelling arguments for religious veiling is very obviously respecting a person’s right to practice their religion. On the same note, how a person practices their religion is ultimately up to them and their own interpretation of their religion. While the veiling is not always required by the religion, it is still always an expression of faith I believe should be respected just like any other. While this is my belief, this sentiment is obviously not shared by the entire world. This can be seen in some bans of head-scarfing in some public places in some Western countries. This is negative in my view because it seems that these bans did not occur until Islamic religion started to grow in the Western world. The reason

Within the Middle East, the largest population of the men and women are Muslim. The Muslim religion suggests that women wear a veil or hijab, which is a head scarf that only exposes a woman’s eyes, accompanied by a burqa which is a full body cloak. The sole purpose of the clothing is to cover a woman’s feminine features from men’s eyes. The Qur’an, an Islamic scripture, supports and slightly obligates the uniform by saying that women are to be conservative, “let them wear their head covering over their bosoms, and not display their ornaments.” (Qur’an). It could be inferred that women wear the burqa and veil willingly because of their geographical location. However, when Muslim women are withdrawn from the Middle East, and are placed

Many would consider Canada a diverse country. These are people that come from all around the globe who bring their religions, different cultural beliefs, and practices with them. But when people try to ban religious headgear such as the Hijab our diversity goes down. Those who favor this position are going against the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the diverse people of Canada. That will also encourage other people to speak up and ban more religious items or practices. The clearest solution to this problem is that we don’t ban religious clothing or items and allow people to practice their religion in Canada.

An individual’s identity can differ depending on several different physical and biological factors including sexuality, gender, age and class. Throughout Ruby Tabassum’s article entitled Listening to the Voices of Hijab, identity is related to gender in a number of ways. I have decided to discuss this specific article because the idea of how femininity is portrayed is a significant aspect of Canadian culture nowadays. I am also interested in focusing on how the identities of Muslim women are recognized in society and how individuals interpret the meaning behind wearing the hijab. Throughout this article, I have distinguished several different reasons for wearing