Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Veiled women are allowed to vote in Canada

Veiled women are allowed to vote in Canada. This is a very brave move by Canadian government.

Related News:
Canada elections body allows women wearing Muslim garb to vote - JURIST (2007-09-07)
Muslim women will be allowed to wear traditional Muslim niqabs or burqas and not be required to show their faces to vote in Quebec by-elections this month, an Elections Canada spokesperson announced Thursday. The official said that women would not have to show their faces if they were able to sufficiently prove their identity with photo IDs or other documentation.

Canadian election agency urged to check veiled women - Reuters Canada (2007-09-07)
Canada's three largest political parties called on the agency that runs federal elections on Friday to reverse its decision to allow Muslim women to stay completely veiled when voting.

PM blasts Elections Canada ruling on veiled voting - CTV.ca (2007-09-09)
Prime Minister Stephen Harper blasted Elections Canada Sunday for going against a parliamentary ruling by allowing Muslim women to wear veils and burkas while voting. The move goes directly against a unanimous vote in the House of Commons this past spring to make visual identification mandatory when casting a ballot.

Countries around the world are wrestling with religious rights - globeendmail (2007-09-10)
As Canada sank into its second nationwide debate this year over whether Muslim women should be allowed to vote with their faces covered, it joined a list of countries worldwide wrestling with the rights of religion in secular societies.

PM assails election veil decision - globeendmail (2007-09-10)
The Prime Minister moved against Canada's Chief Electoral Officer yesterday, warning that a decision to allow Muslim women to vote even if they refuse to confirm their identity by showing their faces at the polling station goes against the very will of Parliament.

Wrong to let veiled women vote, Harper says - National Post (2007-09-10)
SYDNEY - Stephen Harper is accusing Elections Canada of overstepping its boundaries by deciding that veiled women can vote without revealing their faces in upcoming federal byelections in Quebec.

Lifting veil on voting - Edmonton (2007-09-11)
Naturally, driver's licences and other photo ID used by most voters to confirm their identity at the polling booth are of little value with only a pair of eyes behind a Muslim niqab. Instead, a Muslim woman not wanting to unveil can now qualify to vote by producing a second piece of non-photo identification approved by Elections Canada.

Election boss urged to relent in veil squabble - National Post (2007-09-13)
OTTAWA -- Canada's chief electoral officer should use his discretionary powers to force Muslim women who wear the niqab or the burka to remove their veils to vote in Monday's federal byelections in Quebec, one of Canada's most experienced chief elections officers told MPs Thursday.

Veiled in politics - the Richmond Review (2007-09-14)
This week’s controversy about voter identification requirements and Muslim women wearing veils has more to do with political opportunism than anything else.

To sisters who are wearing niqab, are you happy wearing it ?

About Me

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I wear a veil (niqab) whenever the situation permitted me to do so. I will only take off my niqab when I really have no choice. There are many controversy regarding wearing niqab in public places. I created this blog to collect niqab related stories, experience, photos...etc. I wanted to know more how other Muslim women who are wearing niqab adapt to today's world, especially those sisters in Western countries. Sometimes, I will quote a few sentences from or take a photo from website or blog that I find interesting. If you find your site contents in this blog and felt offended, please kindly drop me an email, I will remove it from my blog immediately.