Quebec – Montreal’s secular political party, Parti Québecois (PQ) is pushing for a ban on religious attire for its public servants. It is a proposal that concerns Lionel Perez, a Montreal city councillor (council member) and an Orthodox Jew.
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Perez told the Montreal Gazette (bit.ly/Ro4PBR), “I think that, in general, a religious garb or symbol that in no way affects the person’s ability to perform his duties or functions should not be an issue. What if I don’t call it a religious symbol, but cultural or patrimonial garb to associate myself with some kind of ethnicity? Does it then become permitted? Who will be the arbiter of why people do things?”
This week, PQ leader Pauline Marois declared that the party was putting forward a plan to ban all religious symbols and clothing in public service, except for a “small crucifix.” Marois says her platform is intended to preserve Quebec heritage and culture. PQ’s candidate is a Muslim woman named Djemila Benhabib who opposes Islam.
Critics of PQ’s proposed ban, including the Muslim Council of Montreal, said Benhabib’s candidacy is nothing more than a ploy to disparage Islam and the traditional hijab, which would be prohibited if a PQ government wins control.
The PQ is not only a “Montreal” party. The PQ is a provincial party that is majorly hard-line (to being border-line fascist) AGAINST anything that has to do with anything NOT Quebec or French. They want to seriously separate Quebec from the rest of Canada, they want to completely abolish the English language and anything that is different from them. This includes, as you report, any religion or any religious symbol EXCEPT the tzelem.
They don’t even want to let native Quebec French-speakers to have any access to the English language.
In our schools, in order to get financing from the government, they teach every secular subject in French. (Unless the school is a registered English school) History is almost exclusively Quebec history, btw.
There is much more, including the language police, that the rest of N. America generally doesn’t know about, but there’s no room here for all that…
Please look at the back of the $2 bill. It has the portrait of the Signing of the Constitution. Check out the clothing of the signers. They are all wearing frocks and knee socks. Plainly, they were all Chassidim.
Notice that a crucifix is the only religious symbol permitted. Not a Mogen David, not a kirpan, not an eight spoked wheel or jewelry with a verse from the Quran.
This is simply Christian privilege and bigotry at work.
For that matter, why is everyone forced to wear European ethnic clothes?
Although this proposal may be aimed at anyone who is not of their religion, it does provide an opportunity for some thought.
If someone wears a cross while entering a shul (or as did the Pope when visiting the kosel) we take offense. Yet we can’t seem to understand that it may just as offensive to wear a yarmulka when entering a church or mosque. If someone works for us or with us on the job and wears a cross, we don’t like it; yet we think they shouldn’t mind it if we wear a yarmulka.
Just a little something to think about.