A Canadian woman I know, who converted to Islam as an adult, subsequently chose to marry an Egyptian man, knowing he already had a wife. (This is not my sister) Islam requires that wives are treated equally (good in theory, laughable in practice), with separate houses, husbandly time and attentions, and equal financial arrangements. I can't say this woman was brainwashed by Islam, but I think she let romance cloud her judgement and believed this man was able to do as promised and according to what she believed Islam mandated. Perhaps needless to say, the relationship ended and she is back in Canada. Still, women (and men) have made equally stupid decisions without any religion being involved so I fail to see how making religion illegal will really prevent people from being stupid.
But I do hear you on the wish that religion becomes extinct somehow.
(My sister, btw, had it wrotten into the marriage contract that she would be the only wife.)
I think the way we currently operate is you're allowed to practice your brainwashed religious taboos as long as it's not hurting anyone. So FGM is out even if women are the brainwashed ones performing it on each other.
It can be argued that polygamy hurts women, so we outlaw it, but niqab doesn't.
But here is where it becomes a grey are and subjectivity comes in. I say niqab does hurt women because it hinders their ability to get jobs and function in society.
Where do we draw the line saying something is hurting women or not? I think it's easier to just get rid of all together. If it's not egalitarian it doesn't belong in Canada. For example, if men can have multiple wives but women can't have multiple husbands, it doesn't belong. If women have to suffocate under a niqab and men don't, it doesn't belong. If men don't have to chop their parts, neither do women.
I find we're very selective and inconsistent about the rules and it's better to just have an arbitrary line to draw .
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