The Bigots Are Coming Out of the Woodwork: "Charter of Values" Proposal Results in Racist Attacks

Updated September 18, 2013  1:55 PM

The first of what are expected to be many racist incidents have occurred in Chicoutimi and a suburb of Quebec City in the wake of last week's announcement by the Parti Quebecois of their intention to introduce a "Quebec Charter of Values".  The proposed charter would restrict the wearing of religious clothing or religious symbols by those working in publicly funded institutions.  The PQ says the proposed charter is to ensure that the government is remains completely secular in its delivery of services.  However, critics say that this initiative has nothing to do with secularism, is clearly directed at visible minority communities, and would be a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

These two incidents, which could be classified as hate crimes, are exactly what minority religious communities in Quebec feared and were predicted by their leaders when word of the values charter was first leaked.  There was an expectation that the introduction of the charter, the debate surrounding it, and support for the proposal by the PQ government, would embolden those who hold racist tendencies to act on them.

In the Chicoutimi incident on September 1st a mosque was vandalized and splattered with pig’s blood.  According to Saguenay police a letter was also left at the mosque, denouncing Islam and telling Muslims to "assimilate or go home. 

Related:

* Chicoutimi, Que., mosque vandalized
* Witness sought in Saguenay mosque vandalism

In the second incident which took place in early September in a shopping mall in the Quebec City suburb of Ste. Foy the Senouci family, a family of Algerian background, was accosted by a Francophone woman who demanded that Badia Senouci remove her headscarf (or hijab) and demanded that she change her religion.

"She told me, 'Madame, change your religion," Senouci said, according to CBC News. 

Senouci responded by saying that in Canada she had the freedom to practice her religion (as guaranteed by the Canadian Constitution).  The Francophone woman replied that soon the government would force her to remove her hijab.  The confrontation turned into an apparent assault when the Francophone woman spit in the face of Senouci's son as he stepped between the two women.  Her husband, Abdelmalek Mansouri has filed a complaint with the police and is waiting to see whether charges can be filed against the woman.
* * 

Related:
* Charter of values stirring up tensions in Quebec
* Woman says she was accosted in mall over her Islamic veil
* Debunking the PQ’s Charter of Myths 

These incidents prove a number of things.

The first is that those who predicted that incidents like these would occur if the PQ moved forward with its values charter proposal were correct.

The second is that those Quebecers with bigoted attitudes now feel justified in their bigotry and will more likely act on their prejudice using the values charter proposal to justify their actions.  As proof of the fact that bigots are coming out of the woodwork on this issue just look at the racist comments posted online in response to various news stories about the charter.  Sadly, this is just the tip of the iceberg and it is more than likely that postings of similar online comments will continue (and probably increase), and incidents like those described above will occur again as the debate on the PQ proposal continues.

Third, far from uniting Quebecers as Premier Pauline Marois laughably claims the debate on the values charter will deeply divide Quebec society and the scars from this will take a long time to heal.  Recent polls on public response to the PQ proposal show that Quebecers are splitting predominantly along English / French and urban / rural lines, and the debate is only in its early days.  As an example of how long it could take for Quebec to move beyond the divisions created by this debate and for wounds to heal, witness how long it has taken to get over the divisions that were created as a result of the last sovereignty referendum in 1995.

And lastly, even if the values charter doesn't get adopted the debate will send a message to Quebec's immigrant community that Quebec is not a welcoming province if you happen to be a visible or religious minority and will result in an exodus of people from that province to the detriment of the Quebec economy.  Furthermore, it would tell prospective immigrants (particularly visible and religious minorities) that settling in Quebec is a risky proposition.  This would cripple the Quebec government's immigration strategy which tries to target immigrants who originate from French speaking countries which tend to be predominantly Muslim.

It has become obvious in the short time since the values charter proposal was first leaked and then made public that Pauline Marois and the Parti Quebecois are willing to sink to new depths of negativity and opportunism to resurrect their political brand and win a majority government.  The people that the PQ are catering to with their charter proposal live predominantly in the Quebec hinterland, which is primarily Francophone, and clearly anti-immigrant, if the polls are to be believed.  Those who are opposed to the proposal live primarily in the Montreal region and Quebec's urbanized areas -- the places where most immigrants settle, which generate most of Quebec's economic output, and the places which would be most impacted if the proposal became law.  It seems that in an effort to achieve a majority government Marois and the PQ are willing to sacrifice social harmony and possible economic stability.

Common sense would dictate that to maintain Quebec's social harmony and for the sake of the province's economy it would be better for Marois to bury the charter of values proposal and try another strategy.  But it seems that she and the PQ have thrown common sense out the window and adopted an approach that would be perfectly acceptable in certain European countries where nationalist, xenophobic parties have achieved political success.  If this is the sort of political opportunism and social divisiveness that the PQ is willing to adopt then we have entered a new era of politics in this country -- one where Canada's successful yet imperfect  experiment in tolerance and acceptance is abandoned by politicians for the sake of political expediency, one where the rights of minorities can be sacrificed and the support of bigots is courted in order to get elected, one where the end justifies the means. 

This is not the country that most Canadians have seen evolve into an international role model of diversity and social harmony, the country that people from around the world have chosen to call home, the country that my parents chose to settle in, a country where there is no place for the perversity of the sort of politics being practiced in Quebec by Pauline Marois and the PQ. 

© The View From Here.  All Rights Reserved.

Racist Intent of PQ "Charter of Values" Becomes More Evident

If the racist intent of the PQs values charter wasn't evident before it becomes more evident with each passing day.

In response to an ad by an Ontario hospital directed at the minority health professionals who would be targetted by the values charter, the PQ put out its own ad.  The intent of the ad is clear. If you're a person of faith and your faith requires you to wear something as part of that faith then you're not wanted in Quebec's health care system (or any other publicly funded institution for that matter) 

Related: Quebec responds to Ontario doctor ad by advertising to racist doctors

Whoever crafted the PQ ad clearly wasn't firing on all cylinders.  Because if you read between the lines what the ad implies is that the PQ government doesn't care whether you have the proper qualifications to work in Quebec's health care system, what they care about is what you wear.  If I were a resident of Quebec and a user of their health care system I would be seriously worried about the quality of the health care professionals tending to my needs in the future under the values charter.

The true intent of  the PQ's political objectives were further revealed when it was reported that the lead PQ minister on the charter issue, Bernard Drainville, was pushing the private sector to adopt its proposed charter of values as well. 

© 2013 Pascal/Montreal Gazette.

As time passes the blatantly racist nature of the PQ's charter of values and the obscene, xenophobic and desperate political strategy behind it will become clearer to all Canadians.  It is my hope that Canadians of good conscience (whether Francophone or Anglophone) will respond forcefully to a political strategy that will only stoke the fires of racism and give a platform to the bigots within Quebec society to peddle their poison.

And as the debate on this issue continues to evolve, Quebecer's must keep the following question foremost in their mind, if the PQ are willing to take away the rights of one group of minorities now in their lust for power, then which minority will they go after next to achieve their political objectives?

© F. Khan.  All Rights Reserved.

Quebec's Proposed "Charter of Values" is Just Official Bigotry With a Fancy Title

Updated September 11, 2013  6:27 PM

© 2013 Pascal/Montreal Gazette.

August 28, 2013 -- The recent admission by the government of Quebec that they would introduce a "Charter of Values" which would ban the wearing of religious attire or symbols by employees of the provincial government and publicly funded institutions has, understandably, elicited a very emotional response.  The criticism of the proposal by groups representing various faiths has been very vocal.  Disturbingly, so has support of the proposal by a significant segment of the population in Quebec.

For people of various faiths whether to wear a visible symbol of their faith is (for the most part) a personal choice.  It is a choice that is protected under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms under the freedom of religion clause.  The proposal by the Parti Quebecois government would limit that right and thereby discriminate against people of any faith where the wearing of religious attire or symbols is an article of those faiths.

Orthodox Sikh men are mandated by their religion to wear certain articles as a practice of their faith, one of them being a turban.  For Orthodox Jews it is the same, they are mandated by their interpretation of their faith to wear certain visible articles of clothing.  The same is the case for conservative Jewish men who wear a kipa on their head.  For many Catholics and Christians of other denominations the wearing of a crucifix is a personal article of faith.  And with some Muslim women the wearing of the hijab to cover their hair is believed to be a religious obligation.  In none of these cases does the wearing of these articles of faith impose the faith of the individual wearing them on others.  But for some people seeing others wearing visible symbols of their faith is offensive or an affront and these people want these practices banned despite constitutional protections.

History is filled with instances where the dominant faith within a society took exception to the religious practices of the minorities living among them because they felt offended by or feared in some way the religious practices of the minorities, or just because the religious minorities were different. These perceived offences and fears led to atrocities committed in the name of the dominant faiths in societies throughout history, and people of all faiths have been guilty of committing atrocities against people of minority faiths.  The most recent atrocities occurred in the 1990s during the Yugoslav War which saw the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.  The conflict resulted in genocide and atrocities not seen in Europe on this scale since World War II.

One would think that in a politically developed and well-educated country like Canada attempting to suppress the religious practices of a minority would be a relic of history.  But it seems that bigotry and fear of "the other" still pervades certain segments of the population, and particularly so in Quebec which has a documented history of xenophobia.  The Parti Quebecois proposal to introduce a Charter of Values is an effort by that party (which is in a minority government situation) to use fear of "the other" to cater to a bigoted minority in order to gain their votes at the next Quebec election in the hope of winning a majority.

Under the Canadian Constitution governments are supposed to be neutral when it comes to religion.  What that means is that there is to be no state mandated religion, that governments cannot officially advocate a particular faith, and governments cannot prevent citizens from practicing their faith.  By extension, it also means that governments cannot impose their view of neutrality of faith on an individual in their personal religious practices, even if those practices require the wearing of religious attire or symbols that a broad segment of the public may find offensive (for whatever reason).

In the 19th and first half of the 20th century discrimination against Catholics was seen as acceptable in Protestant Canada.  From Confederation well into the 20th century racism against the Chinese (who came to work on the building of our railways) was seen as acceptable.  In another time Canadian public opinion and apathy accepted institutional and societal racism against Blacks, Jews and Canada's First Nations people.  Within our lifetime it was public opinion and apathy which permitted institutional and societal discrimination against gays and lesbians.  But in all these instances Canada became less intolerant and more accepting of people's differences over time, and realized the immorality of the bigoted and racist attitudes of the past.  We became a more inclusive and freer society with most people believing that we are the better for it.  This has made Canada a country to which many around the world want to immigrate.  If the Quebec government's proposal is implemented, that image will be severely tarnished and Canada will be seen as a less tolerant and less welcoming society.

There is a famous poem attributed to German pastor and theologian Martin Niemöller about the apathy of the German people following the Nazis' rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group.  He did not speak out when the purges began, but when Hitler insisted on the supremacy of the state over religion, Niemöller became disillusioned and became the leader of a group opposed to Hitler.  For this offence he was arrested and interred in a concentration camp until the end of World War II.

There are various iterations of the poem but they all follow a similar pattern.  Here is one version of that poem:

First they came for the communists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,

and I didn’t speak up, because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me,

and by that time there was no one left to speak up.

It has been proven time and again that people fail to learn from history.  And if the PQ proposal goes forward this will be another occasion where the lessons of the history of discrimination and bigotry against minorities, and the pain and suffering it caused, will be forgotten.

The people who support the PQ proposal are obviously not students of history.  What they don't understand is that if the Quebec government implements its Charter of Values as it has been proposed it will be the first step on a slippery slope and will turn the clock back on the progress that has been made with Canadian society's acceptance of differences and diversity.  If it is accepted it will take us back to a dark place in our history where institutional intolerance against minorities was acceptable.  If the proposal is implemented it will beg the question, if this government is willing to violate the rights and freedoms of religious minorities now, then which minority rights will they target next?

© F. Khan.  All Rights Reserved.