Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, known to be bold, has taken another audacious, perhaps rash, step forward by decreeing that Muslim women who wear face veils must remove them when taking the oath of citizenship.

For many Canadians, this isn’t a major issue. While many Muslim women in Canada wear the hijab (head scarf), very few don the niqab or burqa that exposes just the eyes.

The decision, however, raises questions about how far the state should go to accommodate minorities and the lengths to which minorities need to go to adjust to Canadian ways in a country that is becoming more diverse. This matter is being debated in a low key.

When French and the British settlers came to Canada they did not ditch their customs and adopt those of the Aboriginal people. Instead they tried to foist their cultures, languages and religions on the Aboriginals. Native children were sometimes taken to missionary schools, separated from their families, customs and culture, forced into Christianity. They were locked away in boarding schools where they were sometimes mistreated and sexually molested. Canadian history also reveals discrimination against other groups: Chinese, Japanese and Sikh immigrants.

Over the decades, with the influx of immigrants from all over the world, Canada has embraced diversity. Today, one sees mosques, temples, pagodas, restaurants, and specialized shopping malls everywhere, and nobody considers that unusual.

Canada is one of the highest developed nations in the world large part due to its immigration policy. Immigration is a necessity for Canada. Its birth rate is so low that without immigration the country’s population will decline, undermining its economy, cohesion and freedom. Canada’s accommodating attitude towards other peoples has made its transition from an overwhelming white and Christian country to a multi-faith and multicultural country comparatively easy. This is especially manifested at citizenship ceremonies where people from 40 or 50 countries take oaths of citizenship, hugging their families, embracing Canadian flags and rejoicing exuberantly.

Citizenship judges citing the Charter of Rights and Freedoms reiterate that Canada’s greatness lies in its respect for law -- and for equality of all who come to its shores. Sometimes this creates challenges. Sikhs, for example, who joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police refused to remove their turbans citing freedom of religion. Canada’s approach in cases like this has been “reasonable accommodation” -- where those coming to Canada, or their children born in Canada make adjustments without compromising their faith.

Canadian Muslims, however, face a different situation. While Muslims have, and continue to contribute, to Canada’s success in every field – a fact that has been generously acknowledged by Canadian leaders – the community has since 9/11 come under a cloud of mistrust and suspicion. The hijab, and the niqab in particular, raise heckles because they are seen as an exploitation or degradation of women. That impression persists even though many women say they wear the hijab or niqab of their own will and that they don’t wish to parade their bodies to please men.

Nevertheless, there are many Canadians who see Mr. Kenney’s move against the niqab as an infringement on the citizens’ right to dress as they see fit. As an editorial in the Globe and Mail put it: “It’s hard to understand why the Crown would insist on depriving an individual of her religious garb as a condition of taking an oath. The honour of the Crown rests in part in the protection of minorities.”

But while many were offended by Mr. Kenney’s statement that if people felt uncomfortable in showing their faces in a public ceremony, “maybe (they) chose the wrong country in the first place,” the issue appears to have aroused only minor controversy within the Muslim community. This is because most Muslims are of the opinion that Islam does not require that Muslim women never uncover their faces in public, especially when it is for security or another valid reason.

Mr. Kenney’s announcement aside, this country extends full freedom and equal rights to its citizens and sees diversity as an asset. Most Canadians, including Muslim Canadians, undoubtedly agree that theirs is a great country and that this is the way they would want Canada to be for themselves and their children.

Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan is a retired Canadian journalist, civil servant and refugee judge. He has received the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. ■