Quebec Bill 62 Is a Direct Attack on Religious Freedoms of Muslim Women
Joint Statement by National Canadian Muslim Organizations
Montreal and Toronto, Canada: The Canadian Council of Imams (CCI), the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW), the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Canada, and the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) are extremely concerned about the repercussions of the decision by the National Assembly of Québec.
Yesterday the National Assembly of Québec passed Bill-62 supposedly intended to establish religious neutrality by forcing individuals giving or receiving state services to uncover their face. The organizations signatory to this statement are deeply concerned that this bill restricts the rights of Canadians, particularly Muslim women, violates Canadian principles of freedoms of religion and expression and sets a religious test for the receipt of public services.
Bill-62 has little to do with religious neutrality and equality. Instead the bill denies a wide range of services to a specific group of women and risks isolating them and thus leaving them vulnerable to attacks and hate crimes. Bill-62 encourages divisiveness, creates inequality, and violates our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The National Assembly has chosen to further target and marginalize Canadians Muslims while the Muslim community is still coming to terms with the terrorist attack in January on the Quebec City mosque, the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec, that killed six and injured 19.
Muslim advocacy organizations including the CCMW, the Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association (CMLA), and the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) are working to identify options to defend the fundamental rights and religious freedoms of Canadian Muslims.
