Published: 26 April 2019
Last updated: 4 March 2024
KIPPAH-WEARING JEWS in the Canadian province of Quebec would be banned from teaching in public schools, serving as judges and from holding an array of government jobs under a new law proposed by the province’s ruling party.
Bill 21, officially known as An Act Respecting the Laicity [secularism] of the State, would prohibit public employees in certain positions of authority from wearing religious symbols such as kippahs, hijabs, and turbans while on the job. It would also prevent citizens from accessing certain public services while wearing a face covering.
The sources of support for the bill from voters and politicians are varied. Some supporters may be driven by fear or animus toward recent Muslim immigrants. For them, the bill offers a way to stigmatize the presence of visible Muslim communities in Quebec. For others, however, the bill draws on a local tradition opposing organised religion in public life.
Since it was announced, the bill has been severely criticised by religious minority groups, the mayor of Montreal, politicians from the opposition and in the federal government, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the Quebec Bar Association.
FULL STORY Kippahs in the crossfire (Tablet)
Illustration: Kurt Hoffman (Tablet)
