Thank you Zunera Ishaq

Zunera Ishaq

Thank you Zunera Ishaq

In the public swearing in citizenship ceremonies,  Zunera Ishaq shed tears as she raised her hand and along with others stated: “I swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second Queen of Canada, her heirs and successors …”   (I)   At the end she said:  “Thank you so much for honouring me here today,”

Reference the Charter of Rights and Freedoms note at the end of this article.

Zunera Ishaq: Her side of the story:

Along the difficult path to citizenship, dozens of statements made by Ms. Ishaq have appeared in various newspaper and television reports about her battle to resist the Government of Canada attack. As you read Ms. Ishaq’s comments, then other notes in the footer, please remember the Prime Minister, his Ministers and the Ministry of Justice lawyers knew all along they were creating a fictitious defence of their position. They knew at the beginning they could never win, but continued along the path simply to create the illusion the Government was taking a principled position in this fight against the face covering. The Ministry lawyers who presented the Government’s case should all be disciplined by the Bar Association for their egregious abuse of court time and of bringing the administration of justice into disrepute (more in the end discussion):

A sampling of Ms. Ishaq’s comments:

“It’s very important to stand up for your right. If you will not stand up for your right you will not get it,”

“They have so many other things to take care of.  We have a crisis of jobs right now. There is the big global issue of refugees. We are not paying attention to these issues and just focusing on a single person,”

“How can a government have so much time to pay so much attention to a single person’s choice?”

“Most women in my family” she said, “wear neither a niqab or hijab. I began wearing a niqab in my late teens, a decision I made entirely on my own.”

“It has always been my choice.”

“The debate over the niqab has changed how I see Canadian society. My perception of Canada is that it is the country where everybody has freedom of religion, where everybody respects each other, where we can live freely, peacefully, very openly.  But now the situation has been turned around for me … I don’t know how this issue has taken so much attention.”

“Muslim women like me feel they are singled out from society.”

“I believe the Conservatives are using the situation as a distraction. The party is using the issue as a distraction … trying to hide everything behind the niqab, everything they’ve done in previous years.”

“They should be concerned about the issues of the country, the real issues of job loss and the refugee crisis rather than focusing on these issues they have simply taken a non-issue and have made it a really big thing.”

“It is a little sad, as well as a little disappointing for me as well, that this personal choice of mine has nothing to do with anyone, and it … has been taken to this political game.”

(After the ceremony, in an interview with CBC News, Ms Ishaq said it meant a lot for her to finally get Canadian citizenship and “it actually confirmed my belief in the justice system of … Canada,”

“During the ceremony I was feeling pretty much that love which I already have in my, within myself for Canada. And you know, the same feelings as I was feeling in the oath, that definitely this is the country to whom I have to be loyal.”

“My mother and other family members tried to convince me not to wear it at a very young age,” she said, adding that some were “irritated” by her decision.

Her father, a professor of economics, told her he would not force her to take it off, but urged her to be “clear about it.”

She was also asked on The Current whether her husband was in favour of her wearing it.

“No, not exactly,” she said. He wanted to know how it might affect her ability to “move around” in Canada. “But I told him I will figure it out,” and later, she found her community to be “very welcoming.”

Ishaq’s husband also urged her to think about whether she could remove the niqab for the citizenship ceremony and be willing to take on the legal fight. (2)

She said she is aware there is a difference of opinion among Muslim scholars on the veil, with some arguing there is no religious requirement to wear it.

“I would only say that in my case, it was my personal choice. Nobody has ever forced me,” she said, adding that she comes from a background where she has “never been forced to do anything.”

Do these statements sound like a woman who is about to be pushed around by a man?  I don’t think so and I think the Prime Minister was surprised at how strong the pushback from that one woman became. He used her, but in effect he helped her as she demonstrated a strength of character that is admirable.

Discussion

Thank you Ms. Ishaq for standing up for your right to chose within the limits of Canadian law and as guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.. You were simply minding your own business and the Government had no business suggesting they had the right to tell you that you could not wear a face covering at the ceremony and they knew this even as they were carrying on their court battle:

“At Tuesday’s (September 15, 2015) half-day hearing in Ottawa, a Justice Department lawyer told court that the government never meant to make it mandatory for women to remove their face coverings for citizenship ceremonies – a position that left both the judge and Ms. Ishaq’s lawyers scratching their heads. The admission appeared to be a climbdown from the Conservative government’s past position on the issue.”   (Link)

It has become abundantly clear the Government was looking for a wedge issue in the election and if that meant throwing you under a bus, so be it.

Ms. Isqua, you have made every freedom loving Canadian and those who support our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, proud.  You have made it abundantly clear all along that no one in your family forced you to wear that face covering and after reading your statements, I don’t think any man, whether he be the Prime Minister of Canada, your husband or a male friend, is going to tread on you without your biting back. Some may not like face coverings, but they cannot help but admire the personal strength you have exhibited in this battle.

You have respectfully satisfied the need to identify yourself to citizenship officials and you have maintained a respectful attitude and demeanour every step of the way.  The courts have sided with you and the government has even admitted during in all their legal manoeuvring, there was never a requirement for your having to remove that veil in public.  The entire affair was a tactic designed to inflame passions not only against you, but against all Muslims who call Canada home.

The man who is our Prime Minister thought he could bully you into taking off your veil, but he was wrong. By remaining steadfast and resisting, even in the face of the scorn that was heaped you, you have taken a big step forward for every woman who has ever been bullied by a man or by a system often controlled by men.

The actions taken by the Prime Minister clearly demonstrate he is not a statesman worthy of being re-elected and the sooner he is relegated to a footnote in history, the better.

Sources: Statements made by Ms. Ishaq were picked from a dozen sources including the National Post, Globe and Mail, Canada.com, CTV and others to demonstrate how Ms. Ishaq has handled herself.  Everyone is well aware of how the Government handled themselves and it was not pretty.

(1)  Ms. Ishaq readily removed the veil privately for citizenship officials when she swore the official oath of allegiance in a private office as do all others at the ceremony.  The swearing of the oath was done in much the same manner that a bride and groom leave after the official ceremony (church or otherwise) to sign legal documents.  Many brides have been observed to wear veils during the public wedding ceremony and while some are transparent, that is not always the case.

(2) Ms. Ishqa has a master’s degree in English literature; she’s particularly fond of the works of Shakespeare and taught English language for two years at a high school in Pakistan before moving to Canada in 2008 with her husband, a chemical engineer.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

LINK HERE

It would be well worth your while to open this Charter and read it as it is not a long document.
Then, take a moment to reflect upon how many times the Charter has been short-circuited in the past decade.

Other Posts that Speak about the dangerous path we have been following over the past ten years:

1. Oversight of Police and Security Services: This post speaks to another time when the Canadian Government set the Police and Security Services free to act without oversight.  It resulted in a litany of criminal offences being committed that brought the RCMP to its knees.

2. Advocating Terror to become a Crime:  This post explains why “terror bills” have never been needed, yet have surfaced because it helps to create fear that, in turn, serves the purposes of Government and Secret Service agencies, rather than the people of Canada.  The Conservative Government has, over the past decade, become experts at creating fear.

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