The Dilemma of “Reasonable Accommodation” in Canada’s Multiculturalism: State’s Decision to Ban the Niquab at Citizenship Oath Ceremony
Canada is internationally admired for its commitment to diversity and multiculturalism. However, the recent ban on the wearing of the niquab at Canadian citizenship ceremonies has challenged Canada’s identity as an accommodating multicultural state. The issue is being framed as a dilemma of immigran...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Centro de Estudos Sociais da Universidade de Coimbra
2012-06-01
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| Series: | e-cadernos ces |
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| Online Access: | http://journals.openedition.org/eces/1031 |
| _version_ | 1818652549252644864 |
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| author | Shola Agboola |
| author_facet | Shola Agboola |
| author_sort | Shola Agboola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Canada is internationally admired for its commitment to diversity and multiculturalism. However, the recent ban on the wearing of the niquab at Canadian citizenship ceremonies has challenged Canada’s identity as an accommodating multicultural state. The issue is being framed as a dilemma of immigrants’ religious and cultural practices versus the protection of women’s rights. This paper presents three positions on the issue – first, I contend that allowing the niquab at citizenship ceremony does not compromise gender equality; in fact, it may even represent a symbol of empowerment and identity for Muslim women. Second, I draw on the conceptual framework of reasonable accommodation to make a normative argument for accommodating the niquab. Third, I argue that the elitist process by which the state made its decision is democratically illegitimate. In response, I suggest that, regardless of the decision reached, a deliberative democratic process would have met the standards of democratic legitimacy and multiculturalism for which Canadian society is so widely admired and respected. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T02:23:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ad2bd15e5c8c43a5b4a4fd40aaf4b7a1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1647-0737 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T02:23:46Z |
| publishDate | 2012-06-01 |
| publisher | Centro de Estudos Sociais da Universidade de Coimbra |
| record_format | Article |
| series | e-cadernos ces |
| spelling | doaj.art-ad2bd15e5c8c43a5b4a4fd40aaf4b7a12022-12-21T22:07:11ZengCentro de Estudos Sociais da Universidade de Coimbrae-cadernos ces1647-07372012-06-011610.4000/eces.1031The Dilemma of “Reasonable Accommodation” in Canada’s Multiculturalism: State’s Decision to Ban the Niquab at Citizenship Oath CeremonyShola AgboolaCanada is internationally admired for its commitment to diversity and multiculturalism. However, the recent ban on the wearing of the niquab at Canadian citizenship ceremonies has challenged Canada’s identity as an accommodating multicultural state. The issue is being framed as a dilemma of immigrants’ religious and cultural practices versus the protection of women’s rights. This paper presents three positions on the issue – first, I contend that allowing the niquab at citizenship ceremony does not compromise gender equality; in fact, it may even represent a symbol of empowerment and identity for Muslim women. Second, I draw on the conceptual framework of reasonable accommodation to make a normative argument for accommodating the niquab. Third, I argue that the elitist process by which the state made its decision is democratically illegitimate. In response, I suggest that, regardless of the decision reached, a deliberative democratic process would have met the standards of democratic legitimacy and multiculturalism for which Canadian society is so widely admired and respected.http://journals.openedition.org/eces/1031NiquabmulticulturalismMuslim womenminority group rightsreasonable accommodation |
| spellingShingle | Shola Agboola The Dilemma of “Reasonable Accommodation” in Canada’s Multiculturalism: State’s Decision to Ban the Niquab at Citizenship Oath Ceremony e-cadernos ces Niquab multiculturalism Muslim women minority group rights reasonable accommodation |
| title | The Dilemma of “Reasonable Accommodation” in Canada’s Multiculturalism: State’s Decision to Ban the Niquab at Citizenship Oath Ceremony |
| title_full | The Dilemma of “Reasonable Accommodation” in Canada’s Multiculturalism: State’s Decision to Ban the Niquab at Citizenship Oath Ceremony |
| title_fullStr | The Dilemma of “Reasonable Accommodation” in Canada’s Multiculturalism: State’s Decision to Ban the Niquab at Citizenship Oath Ceremony |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Dilemma of “Reasonable Accommodation” in Canada’s Multiculturalism: State’s Decision to Ban the Niquab at Citizenship Oath Ceremony |
| title_short | The Dilemma of “Reasonable Accommodation” in Canada’s Multiculturalism: State’s Decision to Ban the Niquab at Citizenship Oath Ceremony |
| title_sort | dilemma of reasonable accommodation in canada s multiculturalism state s decision to ban the niquab at citizenship oath ceremony |
| topic | Niquab multiculturalism Muslim women minority group rights reasonable accommodation |
| url | http://journals.openedition.org/eces/1031 |
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