Nerenberg, K. (2019, May 10). Quebec’s Bill 21 is about fear of difference, not being secular. Rabble. https://rabble.ca/anti-racism/quebecs-bill-21-about-fear-difference-not-being-secular/
In order to protect secularism in Quebec, the Quebec government has put forth a bill that prevents government employees from donning any religious symbols such as hijabs and yarmulkes. This article outlines the history of Quebec, noting how public schools were centered around religion. English schools were rooted in Protestant beliefs while French schools promoted Roman Catholicism. Despite eliminating religious based schooling in 1997, the Quebec government financially supports religious private schools. The article notes how although religion has been a part of Quebec society, the issues with religion stemmed due to the rise of Muslim immigrants, specifically Muslims who wear the hijab. Thus, the author concludes that Bill-21 is not about religion, but about difference.
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.