A women, wearing a niqab despite a nationwide ban on the Islamic face veil, gives a phone call outside the courts in Meaux, east of Paris, September 22, 2011. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

The Conservative government should be wary of letting the debate around the niqab extend beyond the bounds of citizenship ceremonies, according to new poll results.



This week Abacus Data released results of a national survey of public opinion about the rights of Muslim women to wear the niqab and the hijab in Canada.

According to the study, Canadians are generally uncomfortable with women wearing a niqab or hijab — 56 per cent of those surveyed would prefer it if women didn’t wear niqabs at all in public places.

But overwhelmingly, at 64 per cent, Canadians believe regardless of whether they like the niqab, it’s not their place to say what others should and shouldn’t wear. Seventy-seven per cent of those surveyed said the same thing about the hijab.

More than half of the respondents said it should be a matter of personal choice to wear a niqab, at 55 per cent; 73 per cent said wearing the hijab is a matter of personal choice as well.

The Abacus survey, conducted online between March 20 and 22, asked a random sample of panelists above the age of 18 for their opinions. The findings suggest Canadians (62 per cent) believe the Muslim faith in some way is “anti-women” but that many religions could also be described this way.



According to Abacus, 60 per cent of respondents believe political leaders should refrain from speaking about religious customs, while 64 per cent said it’s appropriate to have rules around what people wear in citizenship ceremonies.

For David Colletto, CEO of Abacus, the results show just how complicated the issue is. “On the one hand, most Canadians don’t want politicians getting involved in religious customs and think its none of our businesses to decide what people wear,” he noted in an email to Yahoo Canada News.



“But on the other hand, a majority believes there should be rules about showing your face during citizenship ceremonies.” He said that as long as the government keeps the debate around the citizenship ceremony, it has public support. “If this becomes a debate over government telling people what is appropriate and not appropriate to wear, many Canadians, even a majority, would be uncomfortable with that.”



The poll comes not long after Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in the House of Commons that the practice of covering the face with a niqab is “rooted in a culture that is anti-women.” In February Harper had noted, while visiting Quebec, that it’s “offensive” when women cover up their faces while taking the citizenship oath.

Harper’s comments in the House were the inspiration of a critical hashtag on Twitter — #DressCodePM — that quickly picked up steam on the social media site.



And if that’s the case, #DressCodePM — and the anger and frustration that came with it — could see a resurgence.