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- Zunera Ishaq (born 1986) is a Canadian Muslim woman living in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, who was at the centre of a debate about the right to wear a niqāb— a veil that covers most of the face—when taking the Oath of Citizenship at a public citizenship ceremony administered under the Citizenship Act, RSC 1985, c C-29, which became a point of controversy during the 2015 Canadian federal elections. Ishaq follows the Hanafi school of thought, and has worn the niqāb since her teen years in Lahore, Pakistan. In 2013, while being a Pakistani national, she challenged the probation on full-face veils during citizenship ceremonies, arguing that it violated her right to religious freedom, and explained that she is however willing to unveil herself if necessary for the purposes of security and to prove identity in private in front of other women. The issue became a significant policy issue for the federal Cabinet—then headed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper—during the campaign with Harper speaking strongly in favour of the requirement. Ishaq challenged the niqāb ban and won in Canada v Ishaq on October 5, 2015. The Federal Court of Appeal decision in her favour is seen by some as "an opportunity to revisit the rules governing the somewhat difficult relationship between law and policy." "The issue of face coverings at citizenship ceremonies became a highly divisive one on the federal election trail, generating sparks in two French-language debates." In October 2015, The Cabinet, still headed by Harper, asked the Supreme Court of Canada to take up the case and pleaded for the Federal Court of Appeal to suspend its ruling in the meantime. With the appointment of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on October 19, 2015, the niqāb issue was settled as the Liberal government chose to not "politicize the issue any further." On November 16, 2015, the newly appointed Minister of Justice and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould spoke with Ishaq by telephone to tell her of the government's decision to withdraw the Supreme Court challenge prior to making her official announcement. It was her first act as justice minister. (en)
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- Zunera Ishaq (born 1986) is a Canadian Muslim woman living in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, who was at the centre of a debate about the right to wear a niqāb— a veil that covers most of the face—when taking the Oath of Citizenship at a public citizenship ceremony administered under the Citizenship Act, RSC 1985, c C-29, which became a point of controversy during the 2015 Canadian federal elections. (en)
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