Unveiling Values in Canada

Canada prides itself on being the most multicultural country in the world... yet it's still surprising when a woman walks past you completely covered up. The niqab and burka, though popular in several middle eastern countries, are still rare on the prairies.

The diverse University of Regina population is slowing changing that. Students from Saudi-Arabia have been flowing into our university. A scholarship provided by Saudi Arabia's King has given 60,000 students the opportunity to study abroad. Hadeel Bin-Amer is one of those students. She came to Canada two years ago and refuses to change clothing.

With her dark, covered robe, she's a bold statement all on her own. In public, only her eyes are visible.

I can't even thinkg of covering up like this but for an indignant, confident Hadeel she can't imagine her life without it.

Perhaps this confidence comes from a Saudi Arabian sentiment most of us will never understand. But it's not only Canadians that don't see eye to eye with this tradition. Two weeks ago, the Muslim Canadian Congress asked the Federal government to ban all niqabs, masks and burkas. The congress feels that these coverings marginalize women and are more a part of Saudi custom than religion.

And so the debate rages on. Do these coverings marginalize all women? Or are some women happy and comfortable with this clothing? And can we as Canadians, who boast about our multicultural, accepting nature, actually ask these women to undress a part of their culture?

It reminds me of the debate over Sikh turbans in the RCMP force. After much discussion, the Canadian government ruled in favor of Sikh peoples' right to wear their religious head wear. But this time, it's Muslim women, not even Canadians that are making a stir. So, it's all in the way you look at the issue. Is it a problem or a sense of identity for these women?

Before talking to Bin-Amer, I would have thought the former. However, meeting a confident and content female that has had the choice to "de-robe," yet has chosen to stand out on her own has really changed my perspective.

It is a Canadian right to express one's culture and traditions. I don't think we can choose for others what they can or cannot wear. However, if some Muslim women in Canada feel forced to wear the niqab or burka, then they should come forward. And our courts can deal with the human rights violators of this whole different issue.