Canada Apologizes to Muslims for Article That Insulted Hijab

Canada formally apologized to Muslims over an article, recently published about the hijab, following calls from multiple organizations and inpiduals.

Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) has retracted the article that shares a perspective on the hijab. The article was a response to an image depicting a toddler in a hijab that appeared earlier in the journal.

On Thursday, Interim editor-in-chief of the CMAJ, Dr. Kirsten Patrick, apologized for publishing the article, which she said "did not contain appropriate subject matter for publication" and "disgusted many readers across Canada."

The article, with the headline "Don't use an instrument of oppression as a symbol of persity and inclusion," was written by Montreal pediatric surgeon Dr. Sherif Emil in response to the CMAJ's use of an image last month of two young girls, one of whom is wearing a hijab, that accompanied a piece on social interventions in primary care.

Accordingly, Emil argued that he respects the woman's choice to wear the hijab, asserting that harassment and discrimination because of that decision are "real" and "wrong."