Quote:
Originally Posted by jammies
This depends on whether or not you think this is a religious freedom issue (I don't), and, if you do think so, whether or not religious requirements should trump civil requirements (again, I don't).
Pants are sufficiently modest that they conform to the requirement in the Koran: "And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty". There are differing interpretations of what exactly this (and similar injunctions) mean, but the main driver behind these interpretations is CULTURAL and not religious; there is a significant minority of Islamic scholarship which argues that many of the passages of the hadith which refer to restricting the dress of the Prophet's wives were never meant to apply to ALL women, along with the (rather obvious) observation that what is modest in one culture can be immodest in another.
In other words, she is not directly restricted by her religion from wearing the uniform, she is restricted by HER interpretation of what is "modest", which is NOT the same as the common accepted Canadian interpretation of the same thing. My argument is, since she is in Canada, it is not our duty to bend to her opinion, but rather her duty to accept ours, at least in any sphere of public interaction (she can do as she pleases in private or on her own time).
I have no problem with making reasonable accommodation for religious belief. There is a distinct difference, however, between freedom of worship and conscience and the ability to defy rules that apply to everyone else due to one's "beliefs", that latter which I definitely do not support, and which is what this woman is trying to do.
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I agree with your statement.
People who question the existence of the slippery slope.. I was merely trying to ask where we draw the line and say enough is enough? Someone's interpretation of a thousand year old book does not justify lodging a human rights complaint. Personally I believe no religion should have preference over another. They are all equally nuts..
