This Is How Quebec’s Bill 21 Excluded a Veiled Teacher From the Classroom, Sparked Widespread Political Controversy

CTV News revealed on December 08, 2021 that the Quebec Provincial School Board announced teacher Fatemah Anvari, 31, was prevented from continuing to work in an elementary school because of her refusal to give up wearing the hijab.

The Board of Education took the decision to expel the teacher because the province of Quebec adopted Bill No. 21, which prohibits employees of Canadian government agencies and facilities from wearing religious symbols.

“Quebec's controversial Bill 21 unfairly targets ethnic minorities, especially Muslim women who wear the hijab under the pretext of secularism, as it forces people to choose their religion or their work,” according to Canadian politicians and critics.

 

 

 

Unfair Exclusion

Wayne Daly, interim president of the Quebec School Board, said in an interview with CBC on December 09: “The teacher of third grade students in the municipality of Chelsea, in the province of Quebec has been transferred to a different job, under a provincial bill, public sector employees in jobs in which they exercise authority are prohibited from wearing religious symbols.”

“I have been exposed - since then - to a flood of phone calls and emails, the vast majority of which oppose the decision,” Daly explained.

“Most Quebecers oppose Bill 21, known as the Secularism Act, and that the Board informed the county government that the bill was against human rights and immoral,” he noted.

“The Board had no other choice but to remove the teacher from her job in implementation of that bill,” Daly explained.

On her part, teacher Fatemeh Anvari, commenting on the decision to deny her teaching her students, said during a call with CBC: “This will not only affect one person and the piece of clothing you wear; it is more than that. What children take from all this is what they learn, and this is the biggest concern. The kids were so restless, they saw me in the hallway and asked me why I couldn’t be their teacher.”

“I am a Muslim, but for me, the hijab carries other meanings just to my identity and how I chose to represent myself as a strong person in a society that does not want me to be me,” She added.

It is noteworthy that the Chelsea Primary School in the Canadian state of Quebec had informed the parents of the decision to transfer the teacher via an email sent to them on December 3. This prompted students’ parents to gather around the school and put up signs and banners expressing their support and solidarity with the teacher.

On December 14, parents and students of Chelsea School organized a protest against the denial of Bill 21 for teacher Anvari from teaching in the province of Quebec, trying to put pressure on regional lawmakers.

The Canadian social media had circulated a letter written by a third-grade student to bid farewell to her Muslim teacher, who was banned from teaching because she wore the hijab.

One girl, Elaine Wilson, wrote: “I really miss you; you were a great teacher. I liked when you read books to us. It is not fair that you can’t teach? I think your hijab is awesome. You are the best teacher ever.”

The girl finished her letter, which was widely spread, with a colorful drawing of her holding the hand of her Muslim teacher, who wears the hijab, and raising a sign saying, Teacher Fatima is the best.

In turn, Samir Falah, head of the Council of European Muslim (CEM), said in a statement to Al-Estiklal: “This approach to the hijab issue in the Canadian province of Quebec refers us to similar approaches in other Western European countries, such as France.”

“In fact, the issue of the hijab is a religious obligation and not a religious symbol. When a Muslim woman voluntarily commits to wearing the hijab, she does so in response to a religious order, not to make it a symbol that reflects her religiosity,” he added.

“It is a contradiction to enact laws that prohibit practices or behaviors that are part of religion. A contradiction between the recognition of freedoms, including religious freedoms on the one hand, and setting laws that prohibit religious practices or manifestations on the other hand,” Falah continued.

“Canada has been known as a society with openness and as a government and administration that preserves the rights of minorities. Therefore, we salute the position of parents and members of society in general for their sympathy and standing with the Muslim teacher who was prevented from teaching because of her hijab. We also applaud Prime Minister Trudeau for his support for this teacher and his rejection of this bill,” head of the CEM  noted.

 

Political Reactions

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office said in an email to the Quebec Provincial Council on December 10: “The door remains open for the judiciary to take credit for this matter and take legal action against Bill 21 that was enacted in the county.”

“No one should ever lose a job in Canada because of their dress or religious beliefs. We have not closed the door to any future court action,” the office added.

Since taking office, Trudeau has been known for his anti-racism and defending Islam stances, which have increased his popularity in global circles. He was also keen to reassure Muslims and confirm that they are part of Canadian society.

A number of Canadian parliamentarians, including: Iqra Khalid, Kyle Seeback, Patty Hajdu and Salma Zahid, filed a judicial appeal against Bill 21 applied in the province of Quebec.

They issued official statements regarding the continuation of the negative effects of the law, requesting the support of the government and the people in this confrontation.

 

 

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) and other rights groups have pledged to appeal an April ruling by a Quebec Superior Court judge that largely supported the bill.

Although acknowledging that it violates the rights of Muslim women and has humiliating consequences for those who wear religious symbols; the appeal is expected to be held early 2022.

“The issue is not Quebec or Canada, it's about human rights,” CCLA Director of Equality Noa Mendelsohn Aviv told Reuters on December 10.

The NCCM also issued a protest petition against Bill 21, asking Muslims to sign it, according to a tweet posted on his official Twitter account.

“It was directed to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to know that Muslims in Quebec will not wait any longer to reconsider the mechanism for applying the discriminatory Law 21,” the NCCM said.

 

 

On her part, Canadian MP Pam Damoff said in a tweet via her Twitter account: “Islamophobia still persists in Canada, and Muslim women often live in a state of fear. The exclusion of a teacher from teaching in Quebec of her wearing the hijab leads to the rise of Islamophobia. We have to speak up to support her.”

 

 

Canadian Federal Minister of Resources Diane Lebouthillier commented on the decision to exclude the teacher from teaching in a statement to Radio Canada: “I find this unfortunate because we have qualified people. People should be judged on their skills, not their clothes.”

Canadian Liberal MP Andre Fortin also stressed that he is sad for the children who lost their beloved teacher and for the parents of the students who trusted this teacher.

 

Quebec's Racist Tendency

The Francophone Province of Quebec, where most of the residents speak French, enacted Bill No. 21 in 2019, in an apparent move to preserve secularism in its public service sectors and to prevent its employees from wearing any religious symbols, it was considered a clear targeting of veiled women, according to critics.

Bill 21 has sparked wide political debates since its approval in 2019, this is in violation of the Canadian Federal Constitution, which provides for respect for freedom of religion and belief.

It was even considered a transfer of the French obsession with the hijab to Canada through the French-speaking province itself.

The bill, which was partially upheld by a Quebec court in April this year, also faces a lot of criticism due to its racist nature, in which it is described as targeting Muslims, Sikhs and Jews.

In turn, Fatima Abdullah, a spokeswoman for the NCCM, told Radio Canada: “This is not the first time something like this has happened. We have previously seen public school teacher Emerith Cole lose her job for the same reason.”

On October 2, a Canadian citizen filed a complaint against the Alliance of Quebec Citizens because of the hatred it had expressed in its election manifesto, after describing Islam as a slowly growing cancer within Quebec society, Radio Canada reported.

The party had considered it on its official website that “Islam is an ideology and a political, social and cultural program that controls all aspects of life and it is against the basic values of Quebec City (Canada's second largest city after Montreal).”

The President of the Alliance of Quebec Citizens and the candidate for mayor, Alain Jason, had stressed in his program that he would not submit any candidate who promoted the Islamization of Quebec City, and he is committed to creating a municipal administration that will do its utmost to counter the Islamization of Quebec City.

In his complaint, the citizen talked about the hatred contained in the party's electoral program, as well as a lot of inferiority and dehumanization through which the Muslim community in Quebec was targeted.

“The party describes Islam as a cancer, it is a clear expression of the argument behind the undesirable nature of this community within Quebec City,” the complainant added.

In 2017, a French-Canadian university student with extremist, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim ideas named Alexandre Bissonnette attacked a mosque in the Canadian province of Quebec, killing 6 worshipers and wounding 19 others.

On April 7, 2019, followers of all religions in Quebec marched in the streets of Montreal, emphasizing their strong opposition to what they called the extreme racism imposed by Bill 21 implemented in the province.

It is noteworthy that Muslims constitute about 3.7% of the total population of Canada, which is about 38 million people, according to reports and statistics issued in 2019.