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Women Can Wear Muslim Garb For Elections

Muslim Women Wearing Face Coverings Can Keep Them On To Vote In Canadian By-Elections

OTTAWA, Sep. 11, 2007


(AP) Muslim women who wear veils covering their face will not have to take them off to vote in by-elections later this month in Quebec where the issue of the traditional covering has been hotly contested.

Instead, women who wear niqabs _ which cover the entire face except for the eyes _ or a burqa, an all-covering body veil, can bring a photo ID or another document proving their identity when they vote in the Quebec elections, said Elections Canada spokesman John Enright.

However, those unable to sufficiently prove their identity must show their faces, he said.

The decision comes after the province's chief election officer required Muslim women to show their faces in order to be allowed to vote in last March's election. The decision was condemned by Muslim groups who said it forced the women to decide whether to adhere to their religious beliefs or violate their faith and vote.

The by-elections _ which typically occur when a Parliament members leaves their seat early _ will be held on Sept. 17 in three different districts in Quebec.

The issue of the Muslim veil has repeatedly come up in the province, which is predominantly Catholic. In February, an 11-year-old Muslim girl participating in a soccer tournament in Quebec was pulled off the field after she refused to remove her headscarf.

Many European countries have been grappling with the issue of Muslim veils. Laws have been passed or are pending in France, the Netherlands and Germany to restrict the use of the face coverings in public places.

Women Can Wear Muslim Garb For Elections, Muslim Women Wearing Face Coverings Can Keep Them On To Vote In Canadian By-Elections - CBS News

What do niqabi voters do in other places?