AS126: Women in Bags, with Eiynah Nice Mangos

In part two of our discussion, Eiynah breaks down the recent situation in Canada where a woman wants to be able to wear a niqab during the citizenship oath. Is it basic religious freedom to allow this? Or is it just as ridiculous as allowing a KKK mask during the oath?

Thanks so much to Eiynah for providing her perspective on this. Find her at http://nicemangos.blogspot.com/

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4 thoughts on “AS126: Women in Bags, with Eiynah Nice Mangos”

  1. EIYNAH NICE MANGOS somewhat misrepresents the case with the Canadian judge, and the hi-jab. The judge was very consistent in her position. Hats, and sunglasses are not allowed under any circumstances. She wasn’t selectively enforcing a rule against Muslims. Allowing her to wear the hi-jab would have amounted to granting special privilege.

    1. Thanks for listening. Apologies if you felt it was a misrepresentation. That was not my intent. I did mention the hat thing, I truly didn’t feel it was fair because we have not heard of judges asking that turbans/kippas be removed in court, this battle was fought w turbans a while ago and then they were accepted into the RCMP.

      People’s cultural headgear , as long as not obstructing identity , I feel is a reasonable accommodation to make. It’s not comparable to hats that are put on and taken off without much thought. These things are part of someone’s identity. … more like a piercing I suppose. I’d be very upset and feel like I was unfairly targeted if a judge asked me to remove my piercings before hearing my case. I would feel it was irrelevant and also an imposition on me, my sense of identity.

      This also gets in the way of clear-cut niqab opposition, because it seems to add to the confusion about imposing on someone’s cultural identity/freedom. Niqabs are undesirable for a great deal of reasons in any society valuing freedom, equality and safety. Not at all the same as hijabs, turbans, kippas. I’d prefer if we kept on track and also showed how we (secularists) are *for* people’s rights and cultural freedoms at the same time.

      1. I must object to making an exception for specifically “cultural” headgear. Establish a secular, neutral definition of what is allowed, and allow that. If a turban is allowed, so too should be a bandana or a cap. If a standard hijab is allowed, so too should be a hoodie. A secular state that upholds equality under the law cannot privilege only certain classes of personal preference (and culture/religion IS a personal preference to anyone who hasn’t drank the Kool-Aid).

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