Quebec Advisory Council Urges Ban On Religious Symbols Worn By Civil Servants

In Canada, Quebec's Council on the Status of Women is urging the province to ban public employees from wearing visible religious symbols on the job, according to today's National Post. The 20-member government advisory board says it is attempting to protect the religious neutrality of government institutions. The proposed ban would apply to "ostentatious" religious symbols, such as large Christian crosses, Sikh turbans and Jewish yarmulkes. Particularly at issue, however, are the hijab (headscarf) and niqab (full face veil) worn by some Muslim women. Focusing on school teachers, the Council said : "The niqab sends a message of the submission of a woman, which should not be conveyed to young children as part of a secular education, which is required to promote equality between men and women." In 1995, according to today's National Post, the Council urged schools to permit students to wear the hijab. The new recommendation that would apply to teachers and other public servants is similar to a ban enforced in France.