WUNRN
Canadian Council of Muslim Women:
Women
in Niqab Speak: A Study of the Niqab in
Direct English Link: [English]
Women in Niqab Speak: A study of the niqab in Canada
Direct French Link: [Francais]
Paroles de Femmes qui Portent le Niqab
Executive
Summary
7 January 2014 - Very few pieces of
faith based clothing in
This study can
be seen as a response to this growing national conversation and a reflection of
CCMW’s values and continued commitment to the plurality of Muslim communities. It
represents an attempt to cast light on the existing agency of and provide space
for Canadian Muslim women who wear the niqab to speak for themselves.
This study is not intended to dwell upon the religious or theological basis of
the practice itself, but rather it is first and foremost about the lived
experiences of the women and the diverse narratives that they have shared
in their responses. The niqab itself is a complex issue and raises many
questions for Muslim communities and the wider Canadian population itself.
These questions do not yield simple answers, but they must be explored through
open and honest discussion.
The findings of this report authored by
Dr. Lynda Clarke of
Keeping in mind the limitations of the
sample, based on available data in the study the typical profile of woman in
niqab is that of a married foreign-born citizen in her twenties to early
thirties who adopted the practice after arriving in
In terms of religious orientation, the
majority of the respondents in the study adopted what can be viewed as a
“conservative” approach to Islam. For instance, the majority of respondents did
not agree with the practice of dating and did not believe that homosexuality
was an acceptable practice. Yet the presence of a conservative religious
outlook amongst participants did not translate into a uniformity of attitudes
towards the niqab itself and whether it was a religiously mandatory practice. 44.7%
of those surveyed established that it was necessary for a Muslim woman to wear
it; while 47.4% indicated “Not necessary, but advisable” and 6.4% indicated
that it was not, illustrating the variety of religious understandings
concerning the article of dress amongst the participants themselves.
The reasons for why Canadian women wore
the niqab, as the author notes were “highly personal and individual” with a
mixture of responses and rationales. Yet, “religious obligation” including
attaining a deeper stage in one’s religious development and “expression of
Muslim identity” featured prominently in participants’ explanations, with
sub-themes such as self-study/religious role models, appropriate
gender-relations, confidence/self-esteem and freedom from the pressures of
fashion also playing a determining factor. Present in only a
minority of rationales for wearing the niqab were husbands and families as many
of the participants came from families where they faced opposition for wearing
it, often taking on the practice without consulting their families. While a
small number of women cited spousal encouragement for why they wore the niqab,
many women indicated facing spousal opposition and explained that their larger
struggle was with soliciting spousal support for their decision.
In response to religious accommodation
and access to government services, including social, legal and health, all of
our participants indicated that there would be situations when it was necessary
to uncover or show their face including airport security, ID cards, accessing
hospital services or even driving. As one interviewee indicated, “It’s
part of our religion to cooperate with the government, so we have to.” When
asked if it was appropriate to show their face in accessing government
services, most of the participants indicated “Sometimes.” While many of the
respondents indicated a preference for female service providers (physicians),
some of the participants did not oppose receiving services from men. Interestingly,
rather than describing their access to services as problematic, most of the
women in the study expressed that their niqabs did not affect their access and
relayed positive sentiments. Similar views were expressed when asked about
access to education, where the majority of participants expressed comfort and
acceptance in their educational programs.
This larger trend of tolerance and
accommodation within
The recently proposed Charter of Quebec
Values has once again brought religious forms of dress and the question of
religious accommodation to the forefront and CCMW’s position on the matter has
remained steadfast. While CCMW does not agree that the niqab is a religiously
mandatory practice, the Council upholds the right of every woman to dress as
she wishes as she has the freedom to interpret her religion as she believes. We
denounce any state action which limits the ability of peoples to wear religious
clothing as it is not the role nor responsibility of governments to control
women’s and men’s bodies and forms of dress. Moreover, CCMW agrees that the
accommodation for Muslim women to wear the face veil must be within reasonable
limits and that women should show their faces under certain circumstances for
the purposes of safety and security, a sentiment that was shared by the
overwhelming majority of women in this study.
CCMW would like to extend its gratitude
to the Ontario Trillium Foundation whose generous funds allowed this project to
become a reality. The Council is also grateful to its Chapters and volunteers
who worked tirelessly to gather participants and organize focus groups. CCMW
is also indebted to Dr. Lynda Clarke and her research team at
About the Publication’s Author
Lynda Clarke is Professor of Religion and Islam in the
Department of Religion at