By Jim Coggins

A FEDERAL bill requiring all voters – including Muslim women – to uncover their faces before they vote is a lot of hype over nothing, and may reflect an increasingly bigoted approach to visible signs of religious faith, according to one prominent Muslim.

Sameer Zuberi, a spokesman for the Canadian branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told BCCN the bill, introduced by the Harper government October 26, will apply to only “a few dozen women in the country” and devotes a lot of attention to an issue which “isn’t that important.”

However, he added that the issue, in the context of Quebec’s ‘reasonable accommodation’ debate, raises serious questions about “how we treat cultural and religious minorities.”

The new bill is an amendment to Bill C-31, which was passed earlier this year “to improve the integrity of the voting process.”

To guard against electoral fraud, the bill required voters to show a piece of government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license. Recognizing that some people do not have such documents, the law provided two alternatives: the voter could produce two pieces of non-photo ID, or could swear an oath and be vouched for by another voter.

The legislation requires that before an election, the Chief Electoral Officer define the kinds of alternative identification that will be acceptable. Accordingly, just before the September 17 by-elections in Quebec, Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand announced a list of acceptable  documents.

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He also announced that voters, such as veiled Muslim women, would not be required to show their faces since alternative means of identification were available.

The Harper government argued that this decision was illogical, since it undercut the whole purpose of the legislation – which was to strengthen the identification process. There would be no point, they argued, in providing photo ID if the voter’s face was covered.

The issue received even more attention when a number of voters turned up to vote in the by-elections wearing a variety of masks and face coverings. One turned up with a pumpkin over his head. The government concluded the issue was damaging the credibility of the electoral process.

After the by-elections, a parliamentary committee ordered Mayrand to reverse his ruling. He refused, stating that his ruling was based on the current law, which does allow alternatives, and that if Parliament was unhappy with that, it should amend the law.

Zuberi asked why the government is wasting time on this when there are more important issues. No religious groups, he noted, have objected to the proposed amendment.

There are “very few women” in Canada, said Zuberi, who wear the niqab, a veil that covers the entire face except for the eyes. He added that Muslim women are “willing to uncover for legitimate identification purposes.”

Zuberi also said he appreciated the provision in the new amendment which allows Muslim women to uncover their faces behind a screen to a female voting official.

He maintained this would not have been an issue were it not for the ‘reasonable accommodation’ discussion in Quebec, which he believes has become “a very bigoted debate.”

December 2007