Excerpt:
The majority of Muslim women in Ontario who wear the niqab chose to do so after arriving in Canada and without receiving any encouragement from family members, suggests a study regarding use of the cloth face-covering veil.
Conducted by a team including Concordia University professor Lynda Clarke and the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, the study found many of the women who responded to the study were well-educated and expressed significant patriotism and attachment to Canada.
The study was prompted by a feeling by many Muslims in Canada and elsewhere that although niqab use in Canada has spurred various controversies over the years, nobody has spent much time asking women themselves why they decide to wear it.