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CAQ government ignoring Montreal’s diversity with secularism bill, Plante tells lawmakers Montreal mayor says Quebec hasn't thought enough about how Bill 21 will impact immigrant women

May 14, 2019   

(CBC) The mayor of Quebec’s biggest city accused the provincial government on Tuesday of rushing ahead with a controversial proposal to restrict religious symbols without considering the harm it will cause Montreal’s diverse population. At a legislative hearing in Quebec City, Valérie Plante said the […]

Academics & Education

At Quebec secularism bill hearings, government challenged to say why trampling religious rights is necessary Quebec's Legislature opens 2 weeks of hearings into controversial bill

May 7, 2019   

(CBC) After spending all day hearing from defenders of his secularism bill, Quebec Immigration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette was confronted Tuesday evening with a challenge from a wispy-haired, 87-year-old philosopher. “We are still waiting for an explanation about why this is necessary,” Charles Taylor told Jolin-Barrette at legislative hearing […]

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Hearings on Quebec’s secularism bill have little time for religious groups, critics say Only 2 faith groups invited to legislative hearings in Quebec City

May 7, 2019 and   

(CBC) Legislative hearings into Quebec’s controversial secularism bill began Tuesday amid concerns that religious groups have largely been excluded from the process. Premier François Legault remains insistent that Bill 21, which was tabled in late March, will be passed before the National […]

Academics & Education

German conference on Islamic veil sparks controversy Islamic veils are a hot topic in Germany, particularly due to a growing Muslim population. Now, outcry over an academic conference on the issue has surprised even its organizer, who says freedom of speech is at stake.

May 2, 2019 and   

(Deutsche Welle) Islamic veils and headscarves remain the subject of heated public debate in Germany. Some view them as part and parcel of religious freedom; others as a symbol of women’s oppression in Islam. The German court system has already taken up […]

Academics & Education

Quebec’s largest school board condemns religious symbols ban CSDM hopes government will be open to compromise during consultations, which start next week

April 26, 2019   

(CBC) Quebec’s largest school board has come out against the province’s plan to ban teachers from wearing religious symbols in the classroom, saying it runs contrary to the school board’s mission and would be difficult to enforce. The Commission scolaire de Montréal (CSDM) outlined […]

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Montreal mayor target of physical threats after coming out against secularism bill Valérie Plante says latest wave of threats was prompted by 'fake news' circulating online

April 17, 2019   

(CBC) Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has been the target of an escalating series of violent threats, apparently sparked by her staunch opposition to the provincial government’s secularism bill. Plante spoke publicly last month about receiving hateful comments after she first criticized Bill […]

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‘It is our duty to speak up’: Montreal city council passes unanimous declaration against Bill 21 'Bill 21 does not reflect the daily reality of Montreal society which is rich and unique,' declaration says

April 15, 2019   

(CBC) Montreal city councillors have unanimously adopted a declaration against the Quebec government’s secularism bill, put forward by the mayor and leader of the opposition. The bipartisan declaration, signed by Mayor Valérie Plante and Ensemble Montréal interim leader Lionel Perez, presents a […]

Banks & Banking

Springfield PNC bank robbed

April 9, 2019   

(Springfield Sun) A person dressed in all black and a burqa robbed the PNC bank, 1316 Bethlehem Pike, Monday, according to Springfield police. The robber, believed to be a male but possibly a female, entered the bank at 5 p.m. April 8, […]

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Montrealers take to the streets to protest Quebec’s proposed religious symbols ban Bill 21 would ban some public employees from wearing symbols of their faith

April 7, 2019   

(CBC) Thousands of protesters gathered in downtown Montreal on Sunday afternoon to protest the Quebec government’s Bill 21 — proposed legislation that would ban some public employees from wearing symbols of their faith. “Quebec is not France, long live the difference!” protesters chanted […]

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Opposition to Quebec’s Bill 21 intensifies as minister pleads for calm Hampstead mayor likens proposed ban on religious symbols to 'ethnic cleansing'

April 5, 2019   

(CBC) A week after tabling the legislation, opposition to the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s plan to ban certain public workers from wearing religious symbols is growing more organized — and more vitriolic. Politicians in Montreal’s west end at the federal, provincial and municipal level came […]

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Muslim fashion for women exhibition stirs controversy in Germany First shown in San Francisco, an exhibition taking a look at Islamic fashion has provoked strong reactions ahead of its opening in Frankfurt. 'Contemporary Muslim Fashions' confronts stereotypes on both Islam and style.

April 3, 2019 and   

(Deutsche Welle) Muslim head coverings have always been a controversial topic, as they embody so many issues, whether women’s rights worldwide or Western prejudice and discrimination against Muslims. Now that the first exhibition dedicated to fashion consciousness of women in Islam is […]

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Civil liberties groups explore ‘creative’ ways to challenge Quebec’s charter-proof secular bill 'We are studying the law, and we are studying what possible recourses we might bring': lawyer

March 30, 2019   

(CBC) The mayor of Montreal calls it “very concerning.” Religious groups say it’s discriminatory. And civil liberties groups have vowed to fight. But what legal options do these groups have in the face of the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s secularism bill, and what […]

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Religious and civil rights groups plan to challenge Quebec’s secularism bill Public school teachers and principals to be banned from wearing religious symbols

March 29, 2019   

(CBC) Civil rights activists in the National Capital Region say they will challenge Quebec’s secularism bill introduced Thursday by the Coalition Avenir Québec government. The legislation bans public workers from wearing religious symbols such as the kippa or hijab. This includes judges, crown prosecutors, teachers and principals, although the bill […]

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Quebec government’s proposed secularism law would ban public workers from wearing religious symbols Bill invokes notwithstanding clause to block any potential charter challenges

March 28, 2019   

(CBC) The Coalition Avenir Québec government is proposing a new law that would prohibit public workers in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols such as a hijab, kippa or turban. The stated aim of the bill, titled, “An act respecting the laicity of […]

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Notwithstanding clause could stop debate over Quebec’s secularism bill before it starts Province poised to ban teachers and judges, among others, from wearing signs of their faith

March 27, 2019   

(CBC) As the Quebec government prepares to table its secularism bill, constitutional experts are raising concerns about Premier François Legault’s reported plans to pre-emptively invoke the notwithstanding clause to ensure public workers in positions of authority are banned from wearing religious symbols. Robert Leckey, dean of McGill […]

Academics & Education

Public school teachers, principals to be banned from wearing religious symbols Sources have told Radio-Canada the CAQ's secularism bill will go further than initially expected

March 25, 2019   

(CBC) Quebec public schools teachers and school principals will be prohibited from wearing religious symbols such as the hijab or kippa, under a bill likely to be tabled later this week in the provincial legislature. The long-awaited legislation from the Coaltion Avenir […]

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U.S. Islamic council calls on advertisers to boycott Fox News until Jeanine Pirro is fired The Council on [American-Islamic] Relations criticizes 'Judge Jeanine’s' 'long history of Islamophobic hate rhetoric.'

March 19, 2019   

(HuffPost) The Council on [American-Islamic] Relations called on advertisers Monday to boycott Fox News until the network axes host Jeanine Pirro. The call comes just days after Pirro’s Saturday night program, “Justice with Judge Jeanine,” was yanked by Fox after she said in […]

Academics & Education

Germany: Bavarian court upholds headscarf ban for judges, prosecutors Bavaria's constitutional court has confirmed the legitimacy of the southern German state's ban on judges and prosecutors wearing headscarves. It said the presence of crosses in courtrooms was another matter altogether.

March 18, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) The Bavarian constitutional court on Monday rejected an appeal by an Islamic religious community to overturn a ban on judges and prosecutors wearing headscarves, saying that justice officials in particular were obliged to be neutral in questions of religion and ideology. The […]