Behold the invocation of the nation’s founding narrative, its pledge of equality and the rule of law, and the keen partaking by a diverse slice of the population… that is, subject to the odd attempt to exclude women with religious face-coverings (secular masks being kosher, if not de rigueur) 1 That citizenship is so valued by newcomers who actually consent to the proffered social contract—as opposed to the homegrown masses whose consent is implied—surely speaks to its potency Being a citizen of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) puts you at an exponential advantage over the rest in terms of what your passport is worth—yet offers no assurance that you will actually enjoy equality in relation to your fellow nationals, especially if you happen to be a woman, a visible minority, transgendered, and/or poor A Federal Court of Appeal decision allowed Ms Ishaq to bypass a government “requirement” that she doff her niqab (Muslim face covering) to attend her citizenship ceremony 2 National security and public health, however, can be invoked to deny such access
Citizenship. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 2019, 337 pp