“Niqabs? Not in my country” Jason Kenney
The Toronto Star
Jason Kenney knows more about your religion than you, so just start listening to him already Muslims.
Jason Kenney, Canada’s Minister of Defense and of Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity, got into a twitter debate about the necessity of the veil in Islamic culture and referenced Sharia law to further his point in a rather peculiar fashion. After a twitter user stated their belief that “the choice of veil in public spaces is protected in Law”, Kenney snarkly replied “What law would that be?” Clearly the Privy Council member wasn’t privy to the “Fundamental Freedoms” section of the Canadian constitution which does expressly permit “freedom of religion” and “freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression.” The Minister finished the tweet by adding “certainly not under sharia law during the Haj, when hiding one’s face is prohibited”, giving us all a lesson in Sharia law, which all Muslims, especially those in Canada, undoubtedly hold in higher regard and esteem then the Charter.
Jason “smooth move” Kenney created quite a stir with his edgy comment, especially considering it came during the holy month of Ramadan, when the Islamic community is likely to be extra-sensitive on account of their ‘hangryness’. For those not up on the lingo, that means being angry due to hunger. And for those not up on religion, the Islamic community is hungry because they fast during Ramadan. Yes, the irony of a Conservative using the principles of Sharia Law to back up his argument whilst his party advocates for firm and aggressive action- to prevent the likes of ISIS from interfering with that very legal system- was not lost on the twitter community.
Ordinarily, such a knee jerk reaction with regard to a subject as sensitive as religious expression would be considered dumb. But, this particular knee jerk reaction came from the Minister of Multiculturalism and Canadian identity which makes it okay, considering the government has introduced legislation that would prevent wearing a veil during a citizenship ceremony. He may have put it a little bluntly, but the veils aren’t going to fly in our system anymore. And Muslims should be okay with that because, according to Mr. Kenney, they aren’t even accepted in that religion sometimes either. So deal with it and let our government get back to its job.