Nakua, A. (2019, October 10). Bill 21 – new battles, old wars. Rabble. https://rabble.ca/politics/canadian-politics/bill-21-brings-new-battles-old-wars/ 

This article analyzes the controversy surrounding religious symbols in Quebec, specifically Bill 21.  After battling for Quebec to be considered as a distinct society, Quebec leaders shifted the discourse regarding nationalism to focusing on protecting “laicity” – secularism. In order to preserve the laicity of Quebec, there is an obsession regarding religious symbols in the public. Moreover, as Quebec’s nationalism is ethnocentric, it perceives Muslims as a threat to their identity. The discourse in Quebec surrounding the hijab and religious symbols erase the voices of Muslims and creates generalizations. Lastly, Bill 21 is seen as weakening human rights as it overrides the constitution due to a notwithstanding clause.

The Teaching Against Islamophobia resources were developed with funding support from the Law Foundation of BC, and the Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies at SFU.