http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070227/ap_on_re_ca/canada_hijab_conflict_1
Unsurprisingly, the not-terribly-immigrant-friendly province of Quebec is in the midst of a hijab fracas. A Muslim girl playing in a soccer tourney was told by the referee (a fellow Muslim – which makes this case very strange) to take off her head covering or else leave the field. The usual sound and fury over religious freedoms has erupted, leading to confusing quotes like this:
“Asking minority groups to integrate cannot be equated with forcing them to assimilate and stripping them of their identity and rights,” said council spokesman Salam Elmenyawi.
Isn’t forced assimilation and loss of identity one of the main functions of the hijab?