Burqa Ban

I was heartened to hear the Muslim Canadian Congress clearly state that the Quran does not require women to cover their faces.  However, their call to actually ban burqas and niqabs goes too far or maybe not far enough depending on how you look at it.

I think that it is reasonable to ban face coverings in situations where safety is an issue such as driving and banking.  I also don’t think that face coverings should be allowed for teachers or police officers or other positions requiring interacting with people.  We need to see faces to judge mood, intent, honesty, trust, etc.  Notice that I say “face coverings.”  I don’t think that people should be allowed to walk into a school wearing a balaclava either.

I would not invite a woman into my house who covered her face.  I don’t believe that is a good role model for my daughters and I would find it very difficult to interact with someone whose face I could not see.