Women

Burkini

More Finnish swimming pools offering women-only hours A number of swimming pools in Finland are introducing shifts or courses geared towards immigrants, especially women.

September 25, 2019   

(Yle) Several public as well as private swimming pools in Finland are taking measures to encourage immigrants, particularly women, to learn how to swim. The Finnish Swimming Teaching and Lifesaving Federation, an organisation dedicated to improving swimming skills and reducing drowning deaths […]

Academics & Education

Quebec’s religious symbols ban causes ‘irreparable harm,’ teachers tell court Civil rights groups file affidavits ahead of appeal set for November

September 25, 2019   

(CBC) Civil rights groups fighting Quebec’s religious symbols law have filed new evidence which, they say, demonstrates without a doubt it has “caused and continues to cause irreparable harm.” Lawyers submitted affidavits last week from Muslim women who were denied employment opportunities or […]

Academics & Education

‘I feel a kind of rage inside me’: Hijabi teachers in Quebec struggle to find way forward Advocacy group Justice Femme says secularism law is so vague, school boards all apply it differently

September 25, 2019   

(CBC) Fatima Boularhmane isn’t sure where to turn anymore. She and her husband and children emigrated from Morocco about a decade ago, lured by the idea of living in a free and democratic country. Trained as an electrical engineer, Boularhmane tried in vain to get a […]

Academics & Education

3 CSDM teachers have taken off religious symbols to work, school board says The board would not specify what kind of symbols the teachers wore

September 17, 2019   

(CBC) The largest school board in Quebec says three teachers have been directly affected by Quebec’s secularism law, formerly known as Bill 21. On Tuesday afternoon, the Commission Scolaire de Montréal (CSDM) revealed the teachers took off their religious symbols in order to be able to […]

Demonstrations

Women’s March replaces three original leaders, after anti-Semitism accusations, with 16 board members Calls for the co-chairs to resign arose before the 2019 Women’s March on Washington.

September 16, 2019   

(Washington Post) The Women’s March is replacing three inaugural board members who have been dogged by accusations of anti-Semitism, infighting and financial mismanagement — controversies some say have slowed the organization’s progress and diminished its impact. Co-Chairs Bob Bland, Tamika Mallory and […]

Clothing

In retort to Trudeau, Quebec’s premier asks federal leaders to ‘stay out’ of secularism law forever Liberal leader 'deeply opposed' to law, but says legal intervention not in the cards 'for the moment'

September 11, 2019   

(CBC) Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that a Liberal government would not get involved in legal challenges to Quebec’s religious symbols law, at least not “for the moment.” But that wasn’t good enough for the province’s premier, François Legault, who wants a commitment from all federal […]

Burkini

Burkinis should be allowed in public pools, non-discrimination ombudsman says The ombudsman said banning the swimsuits is gender- and religion-based discrimination.

September 4, 2019   

(Yle) Kirsi Pimiä, the non-discrimination ombudsman, has recommended that Finland’s public swimming pools should permit the use of burkinis, the body-covering bathing suits sometimes used by Muslim women. Pimiä said she became aware of cases of burkini-wearing women having been turned away […]