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Most Canadians want niqab restricted
Quebecers 95% behind proposed law. Support for veil strongest in Western Canada
By MARIAN SCOTT, The GazetteMarch 27, 2010
Most Quebecers and Canadians agree that women wearing the niqab or burqa should not receive government services, hospital care or university instruction, a new Angus Reid poll shows.
Ninety-five per cent of Quebecers support a proposed provincial law barring the face veil from government offices, schools and other publicly funded institutions, says the poll, provided exclusively to The Gazette yesterday.
In the rest of Canada, three out of four people give the thumbs up to Bill 94, tabled Wednesday by the Charest government. The bill would require all public sector employees to have their faces uncovered, as well as any citizen using government services, for example, someone applying for a medicare card or paying her car registration.
Nationally, four out of five Canadians support the bill.
Mario Canseco, vice-president of public affairs for the pollster, said the survey shows an unusually high level of support for a government measure. "It's very rare to get 80 per cent of Canadians to agree on something," he said.
"With numbers like this, there is not going to be much of a controversy over the legislation in Quebec or anywhere else in the country," he added.
Canseco said one reason support for the niqab ban is higher in Quebec than the rest of Canada is the ongoing debate over reasonable accommodation. The argument over accommodating minorities has heated up in recent weeks in the wake of the barring of an Egyptian woman from government language classes for wearing the niqab.
Salam Elmenyawi, president of the Muslim Council of Montreal, attributed the poll results to the emotional climate the surrounds the niqab issue.
"They are giving it based on their emotional response to a woman covering her face, which is understandable," Elmenyawi said.
"It is associated with all the negative stereotypes that have been on the airwaves," he said. Elmenyawi said the survey could have produced different results if the niqab debate had been conducted in a calmer atmosphere and with more empathy.
Outside Quebec, the poll showed, Albertans are most likely to support the veil ban, with 82 per cent approving the bill; followed by Ontario, with 77 per cent support; the Atlantic provinces (73 per cent) and British Columbia (70 per cent). Support for withholding government services from those wearing the face veil was lowest in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, at 65 per cent.
"It's one of the few times when Quebec and Alberta are on the same page," Canseco said, noting that Quebecers and Albertans differ sharply on many issues, like the environment.
Only a handful of Quebec Muslims wear the niqab, an opaque face veil with a slit for the eyes, or the burqa, a long gown that also covers the face, with a mesh panel through which the wearer peers.
Eighty-three per cent of Quebecers strongly approve of the niqab law and 12 per cent moderately approve of it. Five per cent of Quebecers oppose it, according to the poll, conducted online among 1,004 adults on Thursday and yesterday.
The respondents were selected randomly among Angus Reid Forum panellists. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Across Canada, men were slightly more likely to approve the niqab bill than women (83 per cent vs. 77 per cent) and people over 55 were more likely to favour it than those under 35 (86 per cent vs. 69 per cent).
Bloc Québécois supporters favoured the bill most (95 per cent), along with Conservatives (86 per cent) and Liberals (81 per cent). Three-quarters of NDP supporters agreed with the bill.
A separate poll by Léger Marketing for the Association of Canadian Studies, part of which was also provided exclusively to The Gazette, shows that Quebecers are uncomfortable with the Muslim hijab in schools, but want to keep the crucifix in the National Assembly and allow the cross in classrooms.
Asked whether Muslim girls should be allowed to wear the hijab (headscarf) in public schools, 75 per cent of respondents said no, while 20 per cent said yes.
However, 58 per cent of Quebecers want to keep the crucifix above the seat of the president of the National Assembly whereas 33 per cent said it should be relocated.
As for crucifixes in public school classrooms, 54 per cent said they should be allowed vs. 41 per cent who said they should not.
"For those who say Quebec wants a société laïque (secular society), this poll shows they do have preferences," said Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies. "Crucifixes are fine but the hijab is not," he added.
The survey was conducted online among 1,001 respondents March 21-24. Results are accurate within 3.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
They wish that you reject Faith, as they have rejected (Faith), and thus that you all become equal (like one another)... (An-Nisa 4:89)
Never will the Jews nor the Christians be pleased with you (O Muhammad) till you follow their religion... (Al-Baqarah 2:120)
[FONT="] [/FONT]
Potent symbol
The word hijab is often used to describe the headscarves worn by Muslim women.
These scarves, regarded by many Muslims as a symbol of both religion and womanhood, come in a myriad of styles and colours.
The type most commonly worn in the West is a square scarf that covers the head and neck but leaves the face clear.
Popular styles
The al-amira is a two-piece veil. It consists of a close fitting cap, usually made from cotton or polyester, and an accompanying tube-like scarf.
The shayla is a long, rectangular scarf popular in the Gulf region. It is wrapped around the head and tucked or pinned in place at the shoulders.
Covering up
The khimar is a long, cape-like veil that hangs down to just above the waist. It covers the hair, neck and shoulders completely, but leaves the face clear.
The chador, worn by many Iranian women when outside the house, is a full-body cloak. It is often accompanied by a smaller headscarf underneath.
Islamic covering
The niqab is a veil for the face that leaves the area around the eyes clear. However, it may be worn with a separate eye veil. It is worn with an accompanying headscarf.
The burka is the most concealing of all Islamic veils. It covers the entire face and body, leaving just a mesh screen to see through.
There have been attempts to ban both the niqab and burka in some European countries.
Quebecers 95% behind proposed law. Support for veil strongest in Western Canada
By MARIAN SCOTT, The GazetteMarch 27, 2010
Most Quebecers and Canadians agree that women wearing the niqab or burqa should not receive government services, hospital care or university instruction, a new Angus Reid poll shows.
Ninety-five per cent of Quebecers support a proposed provincial law barring the face veil from government offices, schools and other publicly funded institutions, says the poll, provided exclusively to The Gazette yesterday.
In the rest of Canada, three out of four people give the thumbs up to Bill 94, tabled Wednesday by the Charest government. The bill would require all public sector employees to have their faces uncovered, as well as any citizen using government services, for example, someone applying for a medicare card or paying her car registration.
Nationally, four out of five Canadians support the bill.
Mario Canseco, vice-president of public affairs for the pollster, said the survey shows an unusually high level of support for a government measure. "It's very rare to get 80 per cent of Canadians to agree on something," he said.
"With numbers like this, there is not going to be much of a controversy over the legislation in Quebec or anywhere else in the country," he added.
Canseco said one reason support for the niqab ban is higher in Quebec than the rest of Canada is the ongoing debate over reasonable accommodation. The argument over accommodating minorities has heated up in recent weeks in the wake of the barring of an Egyptian woman from government language classes for wearing the niqab.
Salam Elmenyawi, president of the Muslim Council of Montreal, attributed the poll results to the emotional climate the surrounds the niqab issue.
"They are giving it based on their emotional response to a woman covering her face, which is understandable," Elmenyawi said.
"It is associated with all the negative stereotypes that have been on the airwaves," he said. Elmenyawi said the survey could have produced different results if the niqab debate had been conducted in a calmer atmosphere and with more empathy.
Outside Quebec, the poll showed, Albertans are most likely to support the veil ban, with 82 per cent approving the bill; followed by Ontario, with 77 per cent support; the Atlantic provinces (73 per cent) and British Columbia (70 per cent). Support for withholding government services from those wearing the face veil was lowest in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, at 65 per cent.
"It's one of the few times when Quebec and Alberta are on the same page," Canseco said, noting that Quebecers and Albertans differ sharply on many issues, like the environment.
Only a handful of Quebec Muslims wear the niqab, an opaque face veil with a slit for the eyes, or the burqa, a long gown that also covers the face, with a mesh panel through which the wearer peers.
Eighty-three per cent of Quebecers strongly approve of the niqab law and 12 per cent moderately approve of it. Five per cent of Quebecers oppose it, according to the poll, conducted online among 1,004 adults on Thursday and yesterday.
The respondents were selected randomly among Angus Reid Forum panellists. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Across Canada, men were slightly more likely to approve the niqab bill than women (83 per cent vs. 77 per cent) and people over 55 were more likely to favour it than those under 35 (86 per cent vs. 69 per cent).
Bloc Québécois supporters favoured the bill most (95 per cent), along with Conservatives (86 per cent) and Liberals (81 per cent). Three-quarters of NDP supporters agreed with the bill.
A separate poll by Léger Marketing for the Association of Canadian Studies, part of which was also provided exclusively to The Gazette, shows that Quebecers are uncomfortable with the Muslim hijab in schools, but want to keep the crucifix in the National Assembly and allow the cross in classrooms.
Asked whether Muslim girls should be allowed to wear the hijab (headscarf) in public schools, 75 per cent of respondents said no, while 20 per cent said yes.
However, 58 per cent of Quebecers want to keep the crucifix above the seat of the president of the National Assembly whereas 33 per cent said it should be relocated.
As for crucifixes in public school classrooms, 54 per cent said they should be allowed vs. 41 per cent who said they should not.
"For those who say Quebec wants a société laïque (secular society), this poll shows they do have preferences," said Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies. "Crucifixes are fine but the hijab is not," he added.
The survey was conducted online among 1,001 respondents March 21-24. Results are accurate within 3.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
They wish that you reject Faith, as they have rejected (Faith), and thus that you all become equal (like one another)... (An-Nisa 4:89)
Never will the Jews nor the Christians be pleased with you (O Muhammad) till you follow their religion... (Al-Baqarah 2:120)
Hijab Types
Potent symbol
The word hijab is often used to describe the headscarves worn by Muslim women.
These scarves, regarded by many Muslims as a symbol of both religion and womanhood, come in a myriad of styles and colours.
The type most commonly worn in the West is a square scarf that covers the head and neck but leaves the face clear.
Popular styles
The al-amira is a two-piece veil. It consists of a close fitting cap, usually made from cotton or polyester, and an accompanying tube-like scarf.
The shayla is a long, rectangular scarf popular in the Gulf region. It is wrapped around the head and tucked or pinned in place at the shoulders.
Covering up
The khimar is a long, cape-like veil that hangs down to just above the waist. It covers the hair, neck and shoulders completely, but leaves the face clear.
The chador, worn by many Iranian women when outside the house, is a full-body cloak. It is often accompanied by a smaller headscarf underneath.
Islamic covering
The niqab is a veil for the face that leaves the area around the eyes clear. However, it may be worn with a separate eye veil. It is worn with an accompanying headscarf.
The burka is the most concealing of all Islamic veils. It covers the entire face and body, leaving just a mesh screen to see through.
There have been attempts to ban both the niqab and burka in some European countries.