The Quebec government, which on Tuesday said it will allow Muslim women working in provincial jails to wear a hijab, has been accused by the Opposition of caving in to an "excessive" demand.
The Quebec Public Security Department passed the new rule after making a deal with QuebecÂ’s human rights commission, after a complaint made four years ago. The ministry chose to enforce what it calls an "accommodation" rather than take the matter before the provincial human rights tribunal.
The Parti Quebecois blasted the government Tuesday for caving in to this "excessive" demand. PQ critic for secularism issues Carole Poirier said, "This is completely unacceptable. The guards are state employees and should not wear any conspicuous religious symbols, especially not in a jail where the neutrality of the state should be obvious."
The decision stems from a 2007 incident when a then-19-year-old Muslim Montrealer abruptly terminated training to become a prison guard after she refused to remove her hijab. She had passed all preliminary tests and was halfway through a training program when she was told she couldnÂ’t wear her hijab on the job, for safety reasons. The woman challenged the ban and later filed a complaint with the human rights commission.
After a lengthy process, the commission said the Public Security Department rules were discriminatory. Tuesday, the body announced it has reached a deal with the government to allow women to wear the hijab at work. In order to comply with safety regulations, the department will provide a Velcro-fastened hijab to its staff upon request for religious reasons. Valerie Simard, a spokeswoman for the department said, "They have to make a written demand and it wonÂ’t be automatically granted." |