Canadian Court Rules Women May Wear Veils During Citizenship Oath
A Canadian court ruled that women may be allowed to wear face-covering veils during swearing the oath of citizenship. The case was heard by a Federal Court of Appeal and was brought forward by Zunera Ishaq against the Canadian government after she arrived from Pakistan in 2008 and would not take part in the swearing of the oath because she was required to remove her niqab. Ishaq, 29, is a devout Muslim currently living in Ontario.
A lower Federal Court had ruled that the government’s ban on face coverings was unlawful. Justice Mary Gleason stated that the appeals court saw no reason to interfere with the previous ruling. The lawyer for the Department of Justice unsuccessfully argued that the lower court made a mistake by ruling this decision. Ishaq plans to participate in the elections coming up on October 19, which is why the appeals court hurried their decision.
