Keffiyeh ban keeps Kitchener woman from entering Queen’s Park
A Palestinian woman from Kitchener is speaking out after she was denied entry into Queen’s Park over a cultural piece of clothing.
On Monday, Beisan Zubi drove from Kitchener to Queen’s Park to attend question period, but was turned away by security because of her keffiyeh.
“I was incredulous to be quite honest,” Zubi told CTV News. “I was born maybe a 15 minute walk away from Queen’s Park, I’ve been very involved in politics ever since my first job.”
Keffiyehs are traditional scarves commonly worn in Arab cultures, including Palestinian people.
The garment has been worn in solidarity for Palestine. House Speaker Ted Arnott recently instituted a ban on keffiyehs in a move to keep them from being worn as a political statement.
“Security asked me ‘is that a keffiyeh?’ and I said ‘yes, do you like it?’ and [they] said ‘they’re banned’”, Zubi said.
In a public statement Premier Doug Ford said he does not support the House Speaker’s decision as “it needlessly divides the people of our province.” He called on Speaker Arnott to reverse the ban immediately.
The House Speaker said he would remove the ban if the legislature unanimously backed an NDP motion to reverse it, but the motion failed after Ontario PC MPP Robin Martin voted against it. The NDP brought a second motion forward which also failed.
“The idea that a Palestinian, an Ontario Palestinian can’t even enter into Queen’s Park while wearing her mother’s scarf that she’s had longer than I’ve been alive,” Zubi said. “It’s just discrimination.”
Arab Canadian Lawyers Association president Dania Majid was denied entry into the legislature if she wasn’t willing to remove her keffiyeh. On Tuesday she told CTV News the ban forced her to move her meeting with NDP leader Marit Stiles outdoors.
“The matter is in the government’s hands and what they want to signal to Ontarians,” Majid said. “Do they want to tell Ontarians of all political backgrounds, stripes, cultures that a single person can decide whether they’re welcomed or unwelcomed in Queen’s Park.”
While some believe keffiyehs are worn as a political ploy, Zubi said she’s never worn her scarves for that reason.
“So many people say ‘well I’ve never seen this before’, were you looking for it before?” Zubi said. “I’ve been wearing mine for a very long time. It’s not this new thing, it’s not a fad, it’s not a trend.
The Arab Canadian Lawyers Association is calling on MPPs of all parties to listen to their constituents and find a path to unanimous consent for ban reversal.
Zubi said she plans on filing a charter challenge to reverse the ban which she believes violates her rights and freedoms. She adds she will not return to Queen’s Park until she can freely wear her keffiyeh into the legislature.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6874537.1714950794!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members today during a ceremony at British Columbia's legislature cenotaph commemorating the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
As storms moves across Texas, 1 child dies after being swept away in floodwaters
A child in Texas died Sunday after being swept away in floodwaters as storms swept across the state.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.