A federal bill requiring all voters — including Muslim women — to uncover their faces before they vote is a lot of hype over nothing, and may reflect an increasingly bigoted approach to visible signs of religious faith, according to one prominent Muslim.
Sameer Zuberi, a spokesman for the Canadian branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told CC.com the bill, introduced by the Harper government October 26, will apply to only “a few dozen women in the country” and devotes a lot of attention to an issue that “isn’t that important.”
However, he added that the issue, in the context of Quebec’s “reasonable accommodation” debate, raises serious questions about “how we treat cultural and religious minorities.”
Administrative wrangling
The new bill is an amendment to Bill C-31, which was passed earlier this year “to improve the integrity of the voting process.”
To guard against electoral fraud, the bill required voters to show a piece of government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license. Recognizing that some people do not have such documents, the law provided two alternatives — the voter could produce two pieces of non-photo ID or could swear an oath and be vouched for by another voter.
The legislation requires that before an election, the Chief Electoral Officer define the kinds of alternative identification that will be acceptable. Accordingly, just before the September 17 by-elections in Quebec, Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand announced a list of acceptable identification documents. He also announced that voters, such as veiled Muslim women, would not be required to show their faces since alternative means of identification were available.
The Harper government argued that this decision was illogical since it undercut the whole purpose of the legislation, which was to strengthen the identification process. There would be no point, they argued, in providing photo ID if the voter’s face was covered.
The issue received even more attention when a number of voters turned up to vote in the by-elections wearing a variety of masks and face coverings. One turned up with a pumpkin over his head. The government concluded the issue was damaging the credibility of the electoral process.
After the by-elections, a parliamentary committee ordered Mayrand to reverse his ruling. He refused, stating that his ruling was based on the current law, which does allow alternatives, and that if Parliament was unhappy with that, it should amend the law.
This led to the amendment tabled October 26.
A non-issue?
Zuberi asked why the government is wasting time on this issue when there are more important issues, such as the fact that 40 percent of voters never bother to vote at all. “It’s more of a hyped-up debate without grounding in reality,” he said.
No religious groups have asked for an exemption from the photo identification rule, and none have raised objections to the newly proposed amendment.
There are “very few women” in Canada — 100 to 300 at the most — who wear the niqab, a veil that covers the entire face except for the eyes, said Zuberi, who added that Muslim women have demonstrated that they are “willing to uncover for legitimate identification purposes,” such as obtaining passports and crossing borders.
Zuberi also said he appreciated the provision in the new amendment which allows Muslim women to uncover their faces behind a screen to a female voting official.
The spectre of intolerance
Zuberi said this would not have been an issue were it not for the “reasonable accommodation” discussion going on in Quebec, which he said has become “a very bigoted debate.”
While most Quebecois are tolerant, the current debate in Quebec has been dominated by a vocal minority, and governments have not stepped in to make sure the dialogue is conducted “in a respectful way,” said Zuberi.
As a result, Zuberi said, there is a growing intolerance of “public manifestations of personal private faith” — Christian crosses, Sikh turbans and Jewish yarmulkes. “People of faith in Quebec are feeling a concern today. To practise faith openly in society is being scrutinized.”
Out of step
The wearing of a hijab or head covering by women is commanded in the Muslim holy book, the Qu’ran. However, Muslim scholars are divided on whether this means a head scarf, which covers the hair, or the niqab, which also covers the lower face. In Canada, relatively few women wear the niqab.
Zuberi said it is up to the individual woman to choose what to wear.
Women’s groups have tended to be critical of the hijab, seeing it as a sign of oppression by men. However, Zuberi said that while some Muslim men insist their wives wear the hijab, more often the reverse is true. Muslim men in Canada are tending to discourage the women in their families from wearing the hijab for fear that they will be considered terrorists or be discriminated against in their jobs.
The hijab is part of a Muslim dress code that encourages men and women to wear loose clothing and dress modestly as a means of preserving the sanctity of the family. “Islam seeks to allow the natural [sexual] desire to be fulfilled in a way that allows society to exist in harmony,” Zuberi said.
He admitted that is much more difficult in a modern society that presents far more images of the human body than previous eras.
This is also an area where Christians struggle, Zuberi suggested. “On issues of family, Muslims and Christians are more allied than any other groups in society.”
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