Montreal — From Wednesday's Globe and Mail Published on Tuesday, Mar. 09, 2010 9:59PM EST Last updated on Tuesday, Mar. 09, 2010 10:02PM EST
Naema Ahmed was writing a French exam in a Muslim face covering Tuesday morning when she was called out of class and presented with an ultimatum: the veil or school.
She chose her religious veil and went home. It was the Egyptian immigrant's second attempt to enroll in a government-subsidized French class and her second effective expulsion by Quebec authorities – part of a hardening line over religious headwear in the province.
“ There is no ambiguity on this question: If you want to [attend] our classes, if you want to integrate in Quebec society, here our values are that we want to see your face. ”— Immigration Minister Yolande James
Quebec says it is preparing new rules on religious displays for those seeking to use public services in the province. But yesterday the government made it clear there were no doubts about its intentions.
“There is no ambiguity on this question: If you want to [attend] our classes, if you want to integrate in Quebec society, here our values are that we want to see your face,” Immigration Minister Yolande James said.
Quebec has staked out an increasingly tough position on religious displays, at a time when the province faces a growing presence of Muslims and other religious minorities. Premier Jean Charest's Liberal government has come under pressure from the opposition Parti Québécois to adopt measures to protect Quebec secularism and the equality of men and women.
Ms. James promised the government would bring in tougher though unspecified measures: “We are working on appropriate action that we will take in the coming time.”
Ms. Ahmed's case has already reignited the explosive debate over the accommodation of religious minorities in Quebec. The 29-year-old had chosen to leave a government French class rather than expose her face at a Montreal college last fall; she said she turned to government-sponsored classes at a community centre in her neighbourhood because she was determined to learn French.
She said no one complained about her veil since she started attending classes in the new school in late January. But on Friday, after her story had gained widespread media attention in Quebec, a teacher at the school spotted her and alerted provincial officials, who dispatched a civil servant to the school. He was accompanied by an Arabic interpreter.
Ms. Ahmed said that when she saw the Quebec official, she started to cry.
“It wasn't fair for them to ask me to leave the exam,” she said in a phone interview. “I feel like the government is following me everywhere.”
While there is no law banning the wearing of religious headwear in Quebec, officials say they were acting yesterday on the basis of “pedagogical principles.” A student's mouth should be visible so the teacher can work on pronunciation, one official said.
Ms. Ahmed was told that she could follow French classes online. But the mother of three said she's feeling depressed and doesn't know if she'll pursue her lessons.
“I'll just stay in my house. This will solve the problem.”
On Monday, Christine St-Pierre, the Quebec minister responsible for the status of women, called the niqab and burka “ambulatory prisons” that violate a woman's right to equality.
“There are people in Quebec, in Canada, and other countries around the world, who have gone to Afghanistan and spilled their blood so that these things won't be tolerated,” Ms. St-Pierre said. “Here, we cannot tolerate this sort of thing.”
Ms. Ahmed's treatment has also sparked sharp divisions in the Muslim community over the wearing of the headwear. Salam Elmenyawi, president of the Muslim Council of Montreal, said Quebec is pushing Ms. Ahmed into isolation and depriving her of the ability to learn French and integrate into society.
“We're missing a good opportunity to educate this woman and let her learn our language and culture. We're telling her: Don't go out,” he said.
But the Muslim Canadian Congress, which has called for a ban, applauded Quebec's attitude toward the niqab and burka.
“This is an attire worn in the desert during sandstorms. It's got nothing to do with religion,” said Tarek Fatah, founder of the congress. “It's a very clear sign that women are the possessions of men, and it's being thrust on North America and Europe. Most Muslims are fed up with the niqab and burka.”
Also, what's the point of giving certain minorities rights, while you can't accommodate all of them anyways? You're still picking and choosing and by what basis and what authority creates that basis?
This is my whole point in this thread. No group, minority or otherwise, should be "given rights". Everybody should have the same rights. That means no special treatment for anybody or against anybody. It means you can't wear the islamic veil if I can't wear the ski mask, in that you can't cover your face if I can't cover mine. It also means that if we change the rule to mean you CAN cover your face, then so can I. Its really quite simple. The face covering is just one example, and a rather benign one really. Consider the Sikh ceremonial dagger for example. Should we all be allowed to carry around knives everywhere we go?
there is no other way for them than to attend such institutions in the West. Only if the "custodians of two Holy mosques"(may Allaah preserve them) had invested enough in the education of of this Ummah .... but no ... they need 50 rolls royce and 50 women in their harems.
What do you mean "no other way"? As if the muslims will be dedstroyed if they don't get a secular westernized education!
True knowledge is knowledge of the religion and the creed, not knowledge of psychology or physics or politics and all that useless stuff. If only the muslims desired to become ulama and huffaz rather than doctors and lawyers, perhaps we wouldn't be the weak divided ummah that we have become.
Nobody is advocating the outright banning of niqab. In some places it can't be allowed due to security and identity reasons. These are valid concerns. This is not blind bigotry. Where bigotry takes over (such as profiling muslims at airports for extra security checks, etc) I'll oppose it. But here we are talking about writing an exam, a school dress code, and hiding one's face/identity. Contrary to your post a few pages ago, this school would not let me wear underwear on my head to write the exam. Why should I be given any more leeway if I claimed it to be my religious duty?
What do you mean "no other way"? As if the muslims will be dedstroyed if they don't get a secular westernized education!
True knowledge is knowledge of the religion and the creed, not knowledge of psychology or physics or politics and all that useless stuff. If only the muslims desired to become ulama and huffaz rather than doctors and lawyers, perhaps we wouldn't be the weak divided ummah that we have become.
I disagree with you. Religious knowledge is fard kafaya. As some members of community are doing it, its not obligatory to know all those details. Rather, scientific education is necessary for each and every muslim in addition to knowing basics of their deen.
The lack of this interest for science has forced us to find ourselves in the situation we find ourselves in today. Our unwillingness to push scientific education has made the populace believe that religious knowledge is synonymous with faith while science is synonymous with atheism/disbelief. I've seen people with religious knowledge (search Aboo Ali on youtube, Al Azhar student) become atheists and Ive seen atheist scientists become Muslims ... we gotta shatter the myth in Ummah. inshAllah.
Last edited by CosmicPathos; 03-14-2010 at 03:57 AM.
Help me to escape from this existence
I yearn for an answer... can you help me?
I'm drowning in a sea of abused visions and shattered dreams
In somnolent illusion... I'm paralyzed
I disagree with you. Religious knowledge is fard kafaya. As some members of community are doing it, its not obligatory to know all those details. Rather, scientific education is necessary for each and every muslim in addition to knowing basics of their deen.
So you are saying scientific education is fardh 'ayn, and is even more essential than knowledge of the religion?! Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajioon.
The lack of this interest for science has forced us to find ourselves in the situation we find ourselves in today. Our unwillingness to push scientific education has made the populace believe that religious knowledge is synonymous with faith while science is synonymous with atheism/disbelief. I've seen people with religious knowledge (search Aboo Ali on youtube, Al Azhar student) become atheists and Ive seen atheist scientists become Muslims ... we gotta shatter the myth in Ummah. inshAllah.
Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajioon! The reason for the downfall of the Ummah is because we don't "push scientific education"? My brother, the reason for our downfall is because we have left the sunnah and become involved in innovation, and in general turned away from our religion. And by the way, shoot al azhar, it is one of the most corrupt institutions in the Muslim world which is implementing modernism in the garb of religious learning.
It isn't. I qwill argue a Muslims living in Canada has more rights than a non-Muslim living in an Islamic state. By more rights I am referring to the ability to practice one's religion. For instance, you are free to give dawah, a kaffir in an islamic state is not. You are free to build mosques, wear whatever you like everywhere, instances such as this one are incredibly rare. And the list could go on.
Have muslims more rights than Christians in Canada? Can Christians still built they churchs? Can Jews built there synagogues? Are muslims only there who can built mosques and others not?
I will move to Canada just tomorrow!
From Occupied Palestine:
We have suffered too much for too long. We will not accept apartheid masked as peace. We will settle for no less than our freedom.
there is no other way for them than to attend such institutions in the West. Only if the "custodians of two Holy mosques" had invested enough in the education of of this Ummah .... but no ... they need 50 rolls royce and 50 women in their harems.
I'd be careful about that last statement, thats accusing them of zina
He it is Who sends blessings on you, as do His angels, that He may bring you out from the depths of Darkness into Light: and He is Full of Mercy to the Believers. [Quran {33:43}] www.QuranicAudio.com www.Quran.com
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