Religious exclusion recalls the need for living together

It took a pandemic to highlight the irony and the absurdity of preventing people from participating in society because of their religious practice.

Think about it.

A few years ago, Muslim women who covered their face with a niqab, a minimal number, were said by Quebec politicians that they could not receive public services.Today, covering your face by receiving services has become the norm!

We have also been repeated that people wearing religious clothes, such as Jewish Kippah, Sikh Turban or Muslim Hidjab, could not occupy posts of authority, whether as teachers, lawyers, police, etc..

However, in the emergency situation caused by the variant Omicron, the Legault government declared that law 21 would not apply to volunteer parents who would replace absent educators.

There may be a clear lesson to learn from this exceptional period.

Each of us, whatever their religious affiliation, its origins or its convictions, has a lot to bring to society.It is perhaps this slow awareness that explains the recent drop in support for law 21 in the province.A new survey carried out for the Association of Canadian Studies has revealed that a little more than half of Quebecers are in favor of the ban on the wearing of religious signs by teachers of public schools, which represents a drop in relation toin support of 64 % reported last fall.

This notable drop is attributed to the case of Fatemah Anvari, the Chelsea teacher who lost her post because of her scarf.As people become aware of the impact of this law on students while there is a shortage of teachers, hearts change.

We realize that it may be more useful for our society to be interested in what Fatemah has in the head, rather than on.

The consequences of negative opinions on minority communities range from the "slight difference" to treatment to discrimination in terms of employment, housing and health, including harassment and violence.Five years ago, negative opinions led a young man to enter the Quebec mosque and kill six composure men, while injuring many other people.

It is not enough to condemn this violence - which Quebecers have done in considerable and comforting number.A commitment to understand how we got there must follow, so that such an atrocity can never happen again.

The fourth edition of the Muslims discovery week offers people with people of various origins and experiences to better understand Quebec Muslims.To mark the birthday of the killing of the Quebec Mosque, on January 29, which will be for the first time this year a national commemoration day, events in which residents of various cities in the province will be broadcast online at 25As of January 31.The theme, "fill the gap against Islamophobia", aims to make known the richness and diversity of our communities.

During 25 online events, experts representing the university environment, social justice, arts, media, politics, etc..will present interactive workshops and animated conversations, which will give visibility to Muslim communities.Our friends and allies will join us throughout the programming, to show how our communities are fully integrated, working hand in hand with others to advance an inclusive, safe and prosperous Quebec.

It is our turn to show our fellow Quebecers who are really - an integral part of the great we who make the people of this beautiful province.We are proud to be part of it and contribute to it, whether in times of prosperity as a crisis, because this is our house here.

Let's make Quebecers a united people.And this week, a time of meetings, understanding and friendship.