No One Sure Whether Pic Of Trudeau In Hijab Real Or Satire

Poe’s Law appears operative in this case.

Ottawa, October 8 – An image depicting the prime minister of Canada wearing a traditional Islamic hair-covering for women might document an actual, deliberate sartorial choice, experts believe, but could just as easily reflect a satirist’s commentary on the leader’s politics and behavior, and it remains impossible to tell.

A photograph purporting to show Justin Trudeau wearing a hijab has spread through social media in recent days, leaving viewers and political commentators confused as to its provenance and intent. Pundits across the political spectrum hesitated to hold forth on the picture, pending resolution of the matter.

“I don’t know what to say at the moment,” admitted MSNBC analyst Joe Scarborough. “I think it prudent to remain reticent about this until we can clarify whether this actually happened or it’s someone’s idea of political parody. We’ll just have to see.”

“If it’s real, of course it’s a beautiful image and showcases what’s best about Mr. Trudeau’s attitude and behavior,” continued Scarborough. “His willingness to identify with marginalized groups and try to see things from their perspectives is something severely lacking in American politics right now, so it’s a refreshing item. But if it’s photoshopped, well, that’s an entirely different matter, and it’s an offensive appropriation of Islamic garb to make a crude political point. A racist one, I might add.”

“Oh, I’m not going to go there,” insisted talk show host Alex Jones, displaying uncharacteristic forbearance. “That’s a can of worms I don’t intend to open right now, thank you very much.”

Calls to the prime minister’s office have gone unanswered. A spokesman for Mr. Trudeau told reporters he had yet to ask his superior about the image, but promised to do so at the earliest opportunity.

“It’s a little awkward, to be honest,” confessed Doug Mongrave. “Someone as close to the prime minister as I should have a better idea about something such as this. It’s just too close to tell in this case, though. I’ll have to get back to you. I’m sorry.” It remained unclear whether the last sentence reflected a specific apology for being unable to supply a clear answer or merely the spokesman’s native Canadian culture.

Members of the Ottawa press pool predicted no clear answer in the coming hours, owing to emerging reports of Prime Minister Trudeau proposing and promoting policies indistinguishable from his political opponents’ most extreme caricatures of him.

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