You choose NOT to visit a Muslim country because you'd have to cover your hair??? You have to cover your hair if you weant to work in a bakery in the town you live in, right here in Canada.

Egypt? Byzantium? Morocco? Turkey? What about the pyramids? The Sphinx? the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul? Concordia in Pakistan? The ruins of Carthage in Tunisia? … marvellous, spectacular, wonderful!

You HAVE to be kidding!!!

Life's vastly more interesting and fulfilling if you respect and try to get to know people of other faiths and cultures… 

Pretty sure in most of those locations, she wouldn't have to cover her hair, Mike.

"have to"?… ypu'd be right, Azdgari.

But in most of these places I believe it's considered polite to observe niceties like wearing a head scarf and dressing appropriately, even in Oman and Saudi where massive allowances are made for tourists and expat workers… most of the time… by most of the people.  I have friends who work in Oman who have found that courtesy to local norms gets a lot of goodwill (including cheaper taxi fares and restaurant bills).

And sensitivity — whereve you are — goes a long way towards ensuring personal safety… while a little local vocabulary and some genuine curiosity starts opening doors. That's been my experience anyway.

You can often tell North Americans (Germans too) in most parts of the World because they're the ones in shorts, halter tops, baseball caps and shades, talking loudly and popping camera flashes in places like art gallleries, churches, restaurants and other places where the locals are being circumspect and modestly dressed. I've heard Nort Americand and Brits criticise the local people, culture, religion and taste loudly in English… counting on not being understood by local people. It does them no favours… there are very few places these days where English is not understood at all. There's usually an English learner or speaker around but he/she not going to let on and embarrass a visitor by "overhearing" their rudeness (although I have seen several ugly challenges: in Greece and Italy). 

Agreed.  Serena's understanding was that visiting any Islamic country would mean that she would be bound by law to cover her head.  I'm just pointing out that even this isn't the case.

I wouldn't be interested in visiting anyway. I hear too many bad stories in the news about the way women get treated.

Here's an article on the subject with which I agree.

http://www.gender-focus.com/2013/10/08/quebec-charter-of-values-islamoph...

I guess the point might be that in Canada you can CHOOSE not to wear a head-veil. But you want to take away the right to CHOOSE from others who might want to wear the head-veil. Do I have that correct? So you have the right to choose but those who don't agree with you don't have the right to choose. Interesting perspective.

As to "other countries don't accept our beliefs, why should we accept theirs." Of course that's classic neo-conservative drivel that's really little more than xenophobia dressed up. In Canada it's not really a matter of accepting other beliefs; it's about allowing the right to choice. 

But let me ask - which other countries are you speaking of? Which beliefs do they not accept? Which beliefs are we being asked to accept? Or are you just mouthing platitudes with no substance?

This argument of course goes back to RCMP officers and whether they can wear turbans. Probaby before that. Wow. The country has sure fallen apart since RCMP officers were allowed to wear turbans. It was clearly the turning point to a descent into absolute chaos. Nothing has been the same since.

So if I show respect when I go visit their country by covering their head why can't they show respect when they visit my country by uncovering their heads?

What difference does it make if someone wears a head-scarf for religious reasons versus wearing a scarf for fashion or protection from weather? 

BTW, when the RCMP & turbans became an issue, the military had made room for those who wore them for religious reasons for a long time before that. 

The real issue and question is: why does it bother you if some women want (really want) to wear head veils? Why are you threatened by it? What are you afraid of? Why does it matter to you? How is it going to affect you? Why would you take away someone's right to choose?

My doctor wears a hijab.  She is an excellent doctor, and very kind, and attractively dressed.  I am quite sure she wears it by choice.  (She stood up to her parents in choosing to marry her highschool (WASP) boyfriend.)    While I believe that she is very happy and settled in this province, I probably should be glad of Quebec's new law because it means that she wouldn't consider moving there. 

For many years after people stopped wearing hats in my UCC (unless they like hats), I always covered my head when entering an RC church for a wedding or funeral or any other reason. 

The show respect when they visit here by choosing to wear what makes them comfortable and not harassing others who do the same - whether or not that choice is the same as their own.

It threatens me when women wear veils or cover their heads bc its a public statement of a religion that takes away women's rights. That religion should not be tolerated.

Forcing a woman to remove an item of clothing that is important to her takes away her right to freedom of expression and religion and gains society at large nothing, imho. I actually believe we all lose because of the silencing of that expression and our loss of one aspect of diversity.

Found this on facebook

"'Its about time...
An incident occurred in a supermarket recently when the following was witnessed:

A Muslim woman dressed in a Burkha (a black gown & face mask) was standing with her shopping in a queue at the checkout. When it was her turn to be served , and as she reached the cashier, she made a loud remark about the Canadian Flag lapel pin which the female cashier was wearing on her blouse. The cashier reached up and touched the pin and said, 'Yes, I always wear it proudly. My son serves abroad with the forces and I wear it for him. The Muslim woman then asked the cashier when she was going to stop bombing and killing her countrymen explaining that she was Iraqi. At that point an elderly gentleman standing in the queue stepped forward and interrupted with a calm and gentle voice, and said to the Iraqi woman, 'Excuse me, but hundreds of thousands of Canadian men and women, just like this lady’s son have fought and sacrificed their lives so that people just like YOU can stand here in Canada, which is MY country, and allow you to blatantly accuse an innocent check-out cashier of bombing YOUR countrymen. It is my belief that if you were allowed to be as outspoken as that in Iraq, which you claim to be YOUR country, then we wouldn't need to be fighting there today. However - now that you have learned how to speak out and criticize the Canadian people who have afforded you the protection of MY country, I will gladly pay the cost of a ticket to help you pay your way back to Iraq. When you get there, and if you manage to survive for being as outspoken as what you are here in Canada, then you should be able to help straighten out the mess which YOUR Iraqi countrymen have got you into in the first place, which appears to be the reason that you have come to MY country to avoid.' Apparently the queue cheered and applauded.

It's nice to be Canadian and proud."

Mother of Five

It gains society in that society is not saying "yes we will bend over and allow hatred of women in the name of religious freedome"

So when the pedophiles want to wear a t shirt that says its fun to rape children can we draw the line there?

The head covering is nothing more than a symbol of oppression against women. So what is the difference between that and a t shirt that says its fun to rape children? The women don't WANT to wear this. They are brainwashed into thinking its right.

Here is a list of religions that have used head covering in the past and some that still use them today.http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=religions%20that%20require%20head%20coverings&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ask.com%2Fquestion%2Fwhat-religions-require-head-coverings&ei=eCx0Ust_w-3ZBa6ngbgD&usg=AFQjCNG4YXVrZp-0hbSKav1HWig_aJAOzw

And how exactly do you know this? 

So, Serena... you say "covering heads. . Taking away women's rights... ban that religion."

Uh, Serena, so Christianty should have been banned... all those women wearing hats to church... Jewish women and wigs...

For a former teacher... well... nevermind.

The story about the Muslim woman and the "Canadian" (as if one couldn't be both) is a tale of racism and probably made up. I would encourage you to read the book by well-known journalist Doug Saunders,  The Myth of the Muslim Tide, which is the result of his observations and research.

There is a lot of misinformation out there, Serena.