Quebec: proposal would ban the wearing of religious symbols for all state employees

[The Straight Story]

Quebec proposal: Your headscarf or your job?

A controversial proposal would ban the wearing of religious symbols -- from crucifix to hijab-- for all state employees

MONTREAL – Samira Lebali could soon be facing a difficult choice between her religious faith and her job.

The province of Quebec wants to ban public employees from wearing "conspicuous" religious symbols, including the hijab, turban, kippa and large crosses.

The rule would apply to every government worker, including teachers, doctors and police as part of the Parti Quebecois government's proposed "Charter of Quebec Values" announced this week.

Not everyone is in favor of the proposal, however. Thousands of demonstrators, including representatives of the Muslim, Sikh, Jewish and First Nations communities, attended a march Saturday against what some are calling "The Charter of Shame," La Presse newspaper reported.

Lebali, who wears a hijab and works at a daycare in the city of Laval, just north of Montreal, said she's still in shock over the proposal.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/9/14/quebec-proposal-yourheadscarforyourjob.html

[Owl]

1. Good.

[JBoy]

2. No, not good.

This is xenophobic division politics. A "solution" in search of a problem. The kind of shit a Tea Party crank would come up with.

It's not like banning proselytizing on the job. This is forcing citizens employed by the province to choose between their faith and their job. How is a clerk in a government office wearing a turban a "problem". This is a massive overreach that's probably not constitutional.

Remarkably, the cross in the Quebec legislative assembly is exempt.

This is not playing out well in the rest of Canada.

On edit: a great analysis of the constitutionality (or lack thereof) here http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/is-quebecs-secular-charter-constitutional-nine-legal-experts-weigh-in/article14324825/