Sheema Khan wrote an article in the Globe and Mail about the niqab and the positions of the political parties. She wrote that Canadian Muslims "are the low hanging fruit in the politics of fear." She sees the Conservative government's attitude as "open hostility." She says Muslims are feeling less safe here. And she blames the Stephen Harper government. "Don't expect Conservative leader Stephen Harper to call for calm: this cynical strategy seems to be working." She added "I never imagined that the federal government would use its hefty weight to vilify Muslims." She fears for her children. She has interpreted the Conservative message, "You are Muslim, you are the "other,' you can't be trusted and you will never belong."
I sent her an email with my view of her worldview:
Dear Sheema
I read your article today and you broke my heart. Here you are, a modern well-educated Muslim woman, raised, bathed and swaddled in the freedom that comes with living in the West -- a civilization that is rooted in the ideal that all people have equal intrinsic value -- and you are advocating for the right of Muslim women to wear the niqab. You say that the fighting against the niqab is fear-mongering. It isn't and you know that. It is a desire to keep all citizens equal under the law.
I have no doubt that you will agree with me that the niqab is cultural not religious. Culturally it represents an ethic that is diametrically opposed to western culture. And you know that, too, because you were raised here.
Should it come to pass that the Liberals gain power and Trudeau makes it legal to wear a niqab at the most important moment, when one declares loyalty to Canada and western culture, what makes you think that Muslim men in this country -- especially those who recently came from the old country -- won't take that as a sign that it is okay to insist that their women-mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, wear the niqab?
And if a young girl, first generation, decides that she doesn't want to wear it, to whom shall she turn? You? Will you then stand up for her right to not wear it? Do you think that it will be easy to do that when the law says it is legal? You broke my heart. Instead of defending the rights of all girls to be treated as equals in Canada, you are saying in that some girls aren't as equal as others. And you want this in law.
Pushed into the burka that covered them completely and symbolized their silenced place in the culture?
You broke my heart with your article. The only reason a Muslim would be looked upon as second class in this country would be because of the niqab; because in Islam it is a symbol of a second class citizen. The niqab in the west symbolizes some of the worst aspects of Islam. It symbolizes the right of men to control the lives of women. You know that.
You see this in your community. Is this your idea of a just society? You hear the stories of young Muslim girls running from their culture. They have the opportunity to live in a free society; free from legal misogyny, patrimony and honour killing, and you are advocating the right for women to wear the niqab as if the only women wearing this will have chosen it freely. As if you would ever know. You are condoning the subservience of Muslim women and you call yourself betrayed.
You who have been the beneficiary of the blessings of western civilization are prepared to take that away from future Muslim immigrants in the name of democracy? Opening the door to a symbol of repression in the name of freedom is the beginning of the slippery slope of suicide-by-democracy. You broke my heart.
I am sorry you have suffered from verbal abuse. That is shameful. No one should be attacked for being different. But you, a woman, are advocating for a law that will make it legal for men to abuse women by forcing them to wear the sign of subservience and believing that they have the right to take control of their lives. This is Canada. That is not allowed. I had hoped a modern Muslim woman like you would have understood that and thought more about the rights of young Muslim women than allowing the Liberals to use the niqab as a wedge issue.
Diane Weber Bederman is a blogger for ‘Times of Israel’, a contributor to Convivium, a national magazine about faith in our community, and also writes about family issues and mental illness. She is a multi-faith endorsed hospital trained chaplain.
Sheema Khan wrote an article in the Globe and Mail about the niqab and the positions of the political parties. She wrote that Canadian Muslims "are the low hanging fruit in the politics of fear." She sees the Conservative government's attitude as "open hostility." She says Muslims are feeling less safe here. And she blames the Stephen Harper government. "Don't expect Conservative leader Stephen Harper to call for calm: this cynical strategy seems to be working." She added "I never imagined that the federal government would use its hefty weight to vilify Muslims." She fears for her children. She has interpreted the Conservative message, "You are Muslim, you are the "other,' you can't be trusted and you will never belong." 
