Canadian court rules in favor of woman wearing niqab in citizenship ritual

A Canadian court has cleared the way for a Muslim woman to wear her face veil, or niqab, while taking the oath of citizenship.

The Federal Court of Appeal in October refused to suspend its previous ruling that the government may not bar Zunera Ishaq from covering her face when becoming a Canadian citizen.

The judge said she found that the government had not demonstrated that refusing the stay “would result in irreparable harm to the public interest.”