Canada will no longer allow Muslim women to cover their faces during the citizenship oath, the country's 's immigration minister Jason Kenney announced on Monday. Kenney had " received complaints from lawmakers and citizenship judges who say it's difficult to ensure that individuals whose faces are covered are actually reciting the oath," the Associated Press reports. "Kenney says it's also a question of values. He says new Canadians should be taking the oath in view of their fellow citizens." It was just six months ago that France's sweeping ban on women wearing Islamic head coverings led to several arrests and a firestorm of backlash over the controversial policy. While some argued in favor of allowing women to cover their faces in the name of religious freedom, French president Nicolas Sarkozy called the burqa "a sign of debasement" associated with "the subservience of women."

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Adam Clark Estes