The burqa inspires a number of emotional responses. I personally got involved in the burqa debate soon after I took charge of the secular Muslim Canadian Congress, an organization which stands for secular governance and the full equality of Muslim women. The year was 2006 and the air was ripe for a spirited debate on the place of the burqa in the 21st century and in 21st century Canada. Now, there were many issues to consider before formally launching a campaign to outlaw the oppressive ban: the constitutionality of a burqa ban, the choices of women to wear the burqa, religious freedoms, the threat to public safety and security, the physical health of burqa-clad women, patriarchal control, political Islam and how the burqa is a tool in the hands of individuals with an indisputably political agenda...
I reviewed them at length and proceeded to call for
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