Freedom of religion, women's agency and banning the face veil: the role of feminist beliefs in shaping women's opinion

Abstract

Several countries have imposed bans on the wearing of face veils, a controversial option considered in Bill 94 by the province of Quebec in 2010. This paper examines non-Muslim women's support for the acceptability of the niqab in public spaces. Analysing the 2010 Quebec Women's Political Participation Survey, we find that key feminist arguments -that wearing the niqab is a woman's free choice, a matter of freedom of religion and a visible symbol of women's oppression -are important drivers of opinion. Their role in shaping opinion, however, is complex and mirrors divisions among feminist groups in the province. Additional attitudinal drivers include generation, exposure to the practice and openness to immigration. Equally important, our findings suggest that being a member of a racial minority, feelings of cultural insecurity and religiosity are of little consequence for thinking on the issue.

A Tale of Two Liberalisms? Attitudes toward Minority Religious Symbols in Quebec and Canada

“…Other studies have also explored attitudes toward religious accommodation (Wright et al, 2017; Dufresne et al, 2018). However, none have systematically explored the impact of holding liberal values, although O'Neill et al (2015) show the determinant role played by feminist arguments. Moreover, in a study of the sources of support for the Charter of Quebec Values (Bilodeau et al, 2018), we found that supporters of both the Charter and the removal of the crucifix from the National Assembly of Quebec were more liberal than those who opposed the Charter.…”

Gender versus Culture Debates andDébâcles: Feminisms, Interculturalism and the Quebec Charter of Values

“…Although not expressly stated, it was “generally understood to be aimed at Muslim women who wear the niqab (full-face veil), and would essentially prohibit niqabi women from accessing public services” (Sharify-Funck, 2011: 136). As with Bill 60, feminists were not of one voice on Bill 94 (Conway, 2012; O'Neill et al, 2015: 1887); however, a closer examination of the former provides a more comprehensive illustration of the challenges under scrutiny in this paper.…”

“…These moves are not limited to the PQ's Bill 60 (or Charter of Values), introduced November 7, 2013. Consider here the Charter's unsuccessful precursor, the Liberal government's Bill 94 (Conway, 2012; Golnaraghi and Mills, 2013; Narain, 2014; O'Neill et al, 2015), or the Liberals' current attempt to foster official secularism in the public domain, Bill 62. However, given the circumstances elucidated below, the focus here is on Bill 60.…”

Kenyan Religious Leaders’ Views on Same-Sex Sexuality and Gender Nonconformity: Religious Freedom versus Constitutional Rights

“…While religious value systems have been shown to influence political choices (Olson, Cadge, & Harrison, 2006), attitude towards public policy (Baumgartner, Francia, & Morris, 2008), world views (Kelley & DeGraaf, 1997) and even cultural lifestyle choices such as dressing (O'Neill, Gidengil, Cote, & Young, 2015) in various parts of the world, African countries stand out in terms of the endorsement of the importance of religion and attendance of religious services, and the number of religious organizations (Gilani, Shahid, & Zuettel, 2012; Inglehart & Welzel, 2005; Kelley & DeGraaf, 1997). …”