Canada considers unveiling Muslim voters

OTTAWA-Muslim women in niqabs or burqas would no longer be allowed to stay veiled when voting in Canada under government legislation introduced yesterday.The bill seeks to force the hand of Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand, who rebuffed a request by a parliamentary committee that he require the lifting of veils to prove a voter's identity. He had insisted the existing law did not require it.The new legislation would allow an exception only for someone whose face is bandaged after surgery or covered for other medical reasons.The issue has become a hot potato, especially in the province of Quebec, which is debating how much to accommodate minorities. The provincial electoral officer in Quebec reversed course last March and required the unveiling of voters.During a campaign for three federal seats in the province last month, all four federal parties said faces must be uncovered, but opposition Liberal Deputy Leader Michael Ignatieff was cool toward the bill in remarks yesterday."What I don't like, and object to, is the ways in which certain politicians are stirring this up," he told reporters outside the House of Commons.He said the Liberals were committed to achieving a balance between religious freedom and civic duty, and that a decent society "would work out a pragmatic solution that keeps everybody happy."The rival opposition party Bloc Quebecois, which had earlier introduced a bill similar to the Conservative government's, dismissed Mr. Ignatieff's criticism.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071027/FOREIGN/110270035/1001
As in the days of Noah....