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Quebec Bars People in Face Coverings From Receiving Public Services
[NYTIMES] The Quebec provincial legislature on Wednesday barred people who are wearing face coverings from receiving public services or working in government jobs, a move that opponents criticized as unfairly targeting Moslems.The law will prohibit public workers like teachers from covering their faces at work, and will effectively bar Moslem women who wear face veils from using public transit, although it will be possible to apply for exemptions. The law has been described by proponents as a way to ensure state religious neutrality. Quebec’s minister of justice, Stéphanie Vallée, who sponsored the bill, has said that the legislation will foster social cohesion. But Canadian Moslem groups have long complained that the law, which languished for years before passing 66 to 51 on Wednesday, will penalize Moslems, particularly in a province where few women wear face coverings. "This is an unnecessary law with a made-up solution to an invented problem," said Ihsaan Gardee, the executive director of the National Council of Canadian Moslems. "We don’t have hordes of women in niqabs trying to access or work in public services," he said, referring to a type of head scarf that covers much of the face. "Rather than helping to facilitate inclusion, as its proponents claim, it excludes citizens in the public sphere and reinforces the marginalization and stigmatization of Canadian Moslems." Exactly how the new law will be enforced remains unclear. In the days before the legislation was passed, bus drivers in Quebec voiced concerns about having to personally prevent people from riding busses, and had asked for guidance, which they have not yet received. Posted by: Fred 2017-10-19 |
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