Under the new rules, religious practices are prohibited in premises and facilities  belonging to public institutions. This means that dedicated prayer rooms at universities can no longer be used for prayer. The legislation also prevents students from using other campus spaces, such as classrooms, offices or dining areas, for religious practices.

The changes also extend restrictions on religious symbols to additional groups, including staff in subsidized private schools and subsidized childcare services. The law also establishes new rules for religious accommodations and prohibits collective religious practices on public roads and in public parks without municipal authorization.

The Quebec government presents the measures as part of its model of state secularism, emphasizing the separation of religion and the state, state neutrality and equality. Critics, however, argue that the expanded restrictions place greater limits on religious expression and practice, with particular implications for Muslim communities.

A new 300-page study urging that Quebec’s ban on religious symbols be extended to daycares has sparked strong backlash from Canadian Muslim organizations, media reported.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) is already fighting a headscarf ban, which forbids wearing religious symbols by public servants in the workplace, in the Supreme Court.

Bill 21, which became law in 2019, covers most Quebec public servants, such as teachers, school janitors and health care workers. It is designed to separate state from religion. The new report released recently recommends that the ban include staff in subsidized daycares.

The ban forbids Muslim headscarves, Sikh turbans, Christian crosses and Jewish kippahs in the workplace.

Critics contend the ban unfairly targets Muslim women and forces them to follow their religion or be fired from their jobs. The new report also said Muslim students could risk their health by fasting during Ramadan.

NCCM Chief Executive Officer Stephen Brown called the report “asinine” and an infringement on their rights.

“We really have to ask some serious questions about the legitimacy of their report,” he told Anadolu Agency (AA). “At a time when Quebecers are struggling with the cost of living, inflation, and the existential crisis posed by the Trump administration, this committee put together by the CAQ Quebec (Coalition Avenir Quebec) government has chosen to consider prioritizing going after kids in school and Muslim janitorial staff.”

Brown vowed to continue the legal fight against Bill 21, along with fellow plaintiffs the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and a Quebec nurse.

Source: CBC/Radio-Canada

“I’m angry to learn that women wearing hijabs were the target of a violent attack in London, and a mosque in Winnipeg was the target of hateful harassment,” Trudeau said on his official X account on Friday.

According to a statement by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), two women wearing the Muslim headscarf were attacked Thursday in front of their children in London, where four members of a Muslim family were killed in a ruthless attack in 2021.

The statement noted that a knife-wielding man punched the women in their faces and made inappropriate comments. “The Israelis did a good job of landscaping Gaza. They’ll do the same to Lebanon,” and other slurs of an Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian nature,” according to NCCM.

“Needless to say, the incident amounts to yet another disturbing example of how Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism, often intersecting, continues to pervade corners of our communities, primarily targeting the vulnerable,” the civil rights organization said, adding that anti-Muslim hatred led to the killing of the Muslim family three years ago, and earlier this year, a Muslim family’s house was set on fire due to anti-Palestinian racism.

“It is time to act. Now. There is no time for more platitudes and words. Our leaders have to come up with a real plan to address this massive and disturbing rise in hate against our communities,” NCCM statement said.

No details were provided about the attack on the mosque in Winnipeg, in the country’s central Manitoba province.

A horrific mosque attack in Quebec province, where a lone gunman killed six Muslims and wounded 19 during evening prayers, shook the North American country in 2017.

In June 2021, four members of a Muslim family, who were out on a stroll in London, Ontario, were killed after a white nationalist man deliberately drove his truck into them. Countless other attacks occur on an ordinary basis, as Muslims across the country urge the government to take concrete action to stop the crimes.

Islamophobia is entrenched in Canada, according to a report by the country’s Senate Committee on Human Rights.

Source: Daily Sabah

The current premises, known as the “Haidery Centre,” was purchased in 1982. The building houses a mosque, an Imam-bargah, and a school. It consists of three floors, encompassing an approximate working area of 12,000 square feet, and includes a separate parking lot in front of the building.

Mission

The Association was established to serve the Shia community of Montreal, a role it has fulfilled successfully for nearly 50 years. Its mission is to spread the message of the Ahl al-Bayt while contributing through volunteering and cooperative efforts within the Montreal Muslim community.

Activities

The Shiane Haidery Islamic Association actively serves the spiritual, educational, and social needs of the Shia community through its mosque, Imam-bargah, and school.

• In the mosque:

– Weekly Rhythms: Friday prayers and Thursday night gatherings for prayers and dhikr.
– Ramadan Rituals: Daily prayers, Qur’an recitations, and special observances on the night of Qadr.
– Eid Celebrations: Prayers for Eidul Fitr and Eidul Adha.
– Funeral prayers

• In the Imam-bargah:

– Cultural Commemorations: Majalis and Milad events to honor significant figures in Islamm including Muharram majalis and Eid-i Ghadeer Khumm celebration.
– Spiritual Gatherings: Majalis-i Sawab for communal spiritual reward.
– Youth Programs: Tailored programs for young people in multiple languages.
– Women’s Programs: Special events for women on notable occasions.

• At the Haidery Centre:

– Life Milestones: Conducting matrimonial ceremonies and funeral arrangements.
– Membership Meetings: Regular meetings, fundraising, and social events.

• In the school:

– Sunday School: Religious and Quranic education for children, supplemented with practical skills training.

Contacts

• Address: 2174 Ave Belgrave, Montreal, Quebec, H4A 2LB, Canada
• Phone: +1 (514) 483-1273
• Email: info@shianehaidery.com
• Website: www.shianehaidery.com

Drainville, the father of the Parti Québécois (PQ) Charter of Values, now a CAQ minister, said he had been presented with at least two cases of schools in Laval where students could gather in a room to pray, ‘in violation of the spirit of the law on secularism.’

“It brings up a lot of emotions in our community,” said the president of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec, Mohamed Labidi, CBC reported.

In a joint statement issued Thursday evening, representatives from several mosques with the Table de concertation des organismes musulmans (TCOM) expressed their shock and indignation at the decision.

The authors of the statement include the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec, the Islamic Association of Rimouski, the Islamic Cultural Association of the Eastern Townships, the Association of Muslims of Greater Levis, Mac-Quebec, the Socio-cultural Islamic Association Louperivoise and BelAgir-Quebec.

“We are also outraged that the minister is attacking the young people who are the future of all of us,” they continued in the statement.”

Quebec is Canada’s most-Catholic province, but there has been a big increase in Quebec’s Muslim population, who now makes up five per cent of the province’s people, two percentage points more than a decade ago.

According to 2021 census, there are 421,710 Muslims in the province, up from 243,430 a decade ago, a 73-per-cent jump.

Source: AboutIslam.net

“This week is about sharing the contributions of Quebec Muslims and broadening our understanding of the kind of society we believe is within reach – a society based on equity and inclusion for all,” said Samira Laouni, Chair and co-founder of MAW, Muslim Link reported.

“We are heartbroken every time we recall the horrific attack on the Center Culturel Islamique du Québec. Six Québec Muslims never came home that night after attending evening prayers; their families will feel that pain for a long time.

“What gives us hope is the outpouring of love that we continue to feel from our fellow citizens.”

Members of various faith communities, as well as politicians and academics, including world renowned philosopher Charles Taylor, will participate in the events held during the week.

Organizers say awareness is crucial at a time when hate crimes against Muslims are on the rise.

“Get to know us, get acquainted with our achievements, aspirations and concerns,” said Samaa Elibyari, an organizer of Muslim Awareness Week, Global News reported.

“We realize that ignorance was the root cause.”

Six years ago, a Canadian lone gunman opened fire at a mosque in Quebec City on January 29, 2017.

Alexandre Bissonnette, the man responsible for the Quebec City mosque shooting, has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 40 years.

With partners in Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, Gatineau, Brossard and Quebec City, MAW is offering a series of in-person and online activities, in French and English, that highlight the diversity of Quebec’s Muslim communities in a variety of fields, including the arts, civic engagement and climate justice.

And, as it does every year, MAW is also organizing a vigil on January 29.

Source: AboutIslam.net

Giving Muslim women a chance to speak out and share their experiences, a Calgary Muslim group hosted an event to educate the community and make a change.

“If these hate crimes are happening because of false perceptions of our religion, then maybe we need to talk about what our religion is.” Said Duaa-Azeem Choudhary, a Quebec Muslim woman born to Pakistani immigrants.

The event, organized by Canadian Pakistani Support Group (CPSG), centered on sharing concerns and recommendations about combating hate crimes and racism.

Zainab Khan, the project manager, believes the solution to end Islamophobia is to educate people about Islam and highlight the religion’s messages of peace, tolerance, and equality.

Islamophobic attacks across Canada have risen at alarming levels. The attacks have increased in frequency, many are targeting visibly Muslim women and girls.

Hate crimes targeting Muslims have significantly increased last year according to a report released by Statistics Canada in August 2022.

Source: AboutIslam.net

Fatemeh Anvari, a grade three teacher at the Chelsea Elementary School in Quebec, was offered a permanent position after working as a substitute teacher in the Western Quebec School Board for several months, CBC reported, adding that she had started her full-time position in fall.

Quebec’s Bill 21 bans most civil servants, including nurses, teachers and police officers, from wearing religious symbols such as turbans, headscarves, crosses and kippahs while on the job.

Critics argue that the law is a thinly-veiled attack centered on Muslim women who wear the headgear and it forces people to choose between their religion and their job.

Several court challenges have been filed against the discriminatory law, but the final ruling could take years.

Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, introduced by late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, guarantees equal rights for all Canadian citizens and allows them to challenge it since it is entrenched in the country’s Constitution.

Source: Daily Sabah

Mayor Regis Labeaume had promised the land to the city’s Muslim community in 2017, shortly after residents of a nearby town voted against a proposal to open an Islamic cemetery in their area.

The mayor was joined for the public signing Thursday by Boufeldja Benabdallah, president of the main mosque in Quebec City, who thanked Labeaume for pushing ahead with the project and avoiding a divisive debate.

Benabdallah says Quebec City’s Muslims have been working to have their own cemetery for 20 years. Community members seeking formal Islamic burials have had to send their dead to Montreal. The Quebec City Muslim cemetery is expected to open by the spring.

Source: National Post

This comes six days after the Quebec Court of Appeal refused to suspend part of the law that forbids religious symbols such as hijabs, kippahs, crosses and turbans to be worn by most public servants while they are on the job. That includes teachers, nurses, police officers and bus drivers.

“We told Quebecers and Canadians that we would not stop our work until this unjust law has been defeated, said Mustafa Farooq, executive director of the NCCM, in a news release. “While teachers and other public sector workers are being forced out of their jobs, we will seek leave from the SCC (Supreme Court of Canada) to halt the serious and irreparable harm that Bill 21 causes.” Some Muslims have said they have been turned down for teaching positions because they refused to remove their hijabs.

The appeal court agreed that the new law caused harm to people, but the judges said they did not have the power to suspend the law, which was passed by publicly elected officials. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and an individual are also part of the court challenge. Farooq said other groups and individuals are supporting the challenge. “Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Catholics and folks who aren’t part of any faith tradition have been fighting with us, standing side by side,” he said. “And it is working. Support for Bill 21 in Quebec has dropped from close to 70% to only 48% as per the most recent polls. That’s massive.”

Quebec Premier François Legault insists the new law, passed this past summer, separates religion and state, promoting secularism, and that it has the support of a majority of Quebecers. When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the state had no business telling citizens how to dress, he left the door open to federal intervention in the case. Legault warned the prime minister to stay out it.

Plaintiffs have to receive court permission to take an issue before the Supreme Court of Canada. But in this instance, that is considered a formality, and the case is expected to be heard in October 2020.

Source: Anadolu Agency