Toronto, Canada - A Canadian Muslim organization is urging the Canadian government to ban traditional Muslim garments designed to cover a woman's face, saying they are medieval and misogynist symbols of extremism with no basis in Islam.
The Muslim Canadian Congress has called on the federal government to prohibit the burka and the niqab because it says that practice of covering one's face has no place in a society that supports gender equality.
The burka is a head-to-toe gown with a mesh-like panel over the face that allows a woman to see and breathe. The niqab is a veil that leaves only the eyes exposed.
Tarek Fatah, founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress, said the ban would not extend to the hijab, a traditional headscarf that does not cover the face.