Thursday, March 18, 2010

A Question of Freedom of Religion

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Remove+niqab+medicare+card/2689482/story.html

Quebec’s Human Rights Commission ruled that a request for women to remove the niqab is not a violation of religious freedom.

“A niqab-clad woman must uncover her face to confirm her identity when applying for a Quebec medicare card, the province’s human rights commission says.
And she does not have the right to insist on being served by a woman when doing so, the commission said in an opinion issued Tuesday.”

It seems like a fair decision, the province isn’t demanding that the niqab is banned outright. Therefore, this is a reasonable compromise.

I’m fascinated by the power of religion to make people think that disobeying the tenets of their faith, even if it’s only for a few seconds, will result in eternal punishment. Wouldn’t an all-knowing and forgiving God understand that removing the niqab was necessary?

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