Woman at heart of heated niqab debate takes oath while wearing niqab

OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – Zunera Ishaq, who fought for the right to wear a niqab during her Canadian citizenship oath, took the oath on Friday while wearing a niqab.

Earlier, Ishaq told the Canadian Press that much of the discussion surrounding the issue in recent weeks has been based on misconceptions about Islam, the niqab and the women who embrace both.

The university-educated Ishaq, 29, attributed much of that misinformation to the Conservative government, accusing Prime Minister Stephen Harper of turning her personal choice into a national vote-getting strategy. She fears the tactic may be working.

“(The public) is not informed,” she told The Canadian Press in an interview.

“They are being misguided by the government on this particular issue. They were of the view that Muslim women who are wearing the niqab objected to show their identity for security purposes, but that’s not the case …. The image of Muslim women, and as a whole the Muslim community, has been damaged by this.”

The Conservative party did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The niqab controversy stems from a 2011 government policy banning new Canadians from wearing face coverings while taking their citizenship oaths. Ishaq refused to do so on religious grounds, and her efforts to challenge the new rules have resulted in a spate of legal wrangling.

The Federal Court of Canada found the policy unlawful in February, and the Federal Court of Appeal recently upheld the ruling.

The government has refused to back down, however, saying the issue will now be heard before the Supreme Court of Canada.

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