Quebec: Muslim women to remove veil when voting

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Muslim women will have to remove their face coverings if they want to vote in Monday's Quebec election, a government official said Friday. Quebec's debate over reasonable accommodation for its religious and cultural minorities continued Friday after its chief returning officer reversed an earlier decision allowing women to vote while wearing their face coverings. Marcel Blanchet had been criticized by Quebec's three main political leaders for allowing voters to wear the niqab, which covers the entire face except for the eyes, and cast their ballots Monday if they signed a sworn statement and showed proper ID. Blanchet said he was only respecting the letter of electoral law but would now use special powers to make the change in order to avoid disruptions when Quebec goes to the polls.