Muslims see prayer ban targeting them
Muslims feel the public prayer ban targets their community because it does. Read MBC today where he rants against Islam and you can see it in plain sight.
And yet it makes no sense. Nobody is forcing anyone to eat halal food. Nobody is making women cover their hair or men get the snip. Muslims are not knocking at your door or trying to hand you tracts in the metro. It’s xenophobia pure and simple.
Kevin 20:37 on 2025-08-29 Permalink
Nobody has the right to live in a bubble.
Nicholas 21:15 on 2025-08-29 Permalink
Kate, while I agree with you, people are forcing the snip on men (well, boys) without their consent. A huge amount of meat and other products are Halal and Kosher, whether you like it or not. And there is incredibly strong social pressure in some communities for women to cover their hair. I remember at 18 going to a funeral for the cousin of a friend of mine at Paperman & Sons, and I was the only male friend of hers who came, and one of her friends hugged every one of her friends, many of whom she’d just met, except me, who she’d known for a year (she apologized briefly but didn’t explain, so I didn’t understand until later). Technically she had free will, but in that setting, surrounded by all her community, did she?
You could say that no one was forcing women to change their names. Quebec’s solution is extreme to some, but no one thinks there wasn’t pervasive social pressure.
All of these bills are red meat xenophobia, and I’m generally of the opinion to let people live as they please. I don’t care that some person has blessed my chicken. But we certainly do want to intervene in some cases; lots of closed communities have abuse, especially of children, but also those with less power, and genital mutilation is not acceptable here for one sex, at least. And social coercion is rampant; while some women do like covering their hair, you can’t say everyone who does it wants to, as when rules are relaxed in certain places many of those women immediately start showing their hair. I think most people who cover here do want to, but I’m sure some don’t, but would have to leave their community if they did.
Ian 22:34 on 2025-08-29 Permalink
Sure and nobody’s forcing men not to wear skirts to their work at the office or women not to go topless, except social pressure & cultural practices. By the same token, if your maternal grandmother was Jewish, then so are you even if you aren’t circumcised. Lots of people live as secular or non-observant Jews. Lots of non-Jewish men are circumcised. As far as food goes, try bringing Kentucky Fried Chicken to a potluck. It’s not religioon, but it’s observing cultural practices. I am sure you can see where I’m going with this. In the winter everyone covers their hair, does it offend you? As far as abuse goes, there’s a lot of sexual abuseat universtities and colleges – which are essentially closed communities – do you think we should shut them down? In the early to mid 20th century headscarves were super popular for women all over the place and nobody lost their head. Well, besides Isadora Duncan.
All that aside, I think it’s time to really test this and start wearing secular hijabs and start secular prayer meetings in public. Ideally in English, praising multiculturalism and giving thanks for diversity. Some of those sport hijabs don’t really look much different from the open face baaclavas people wear for winter sports. As I recall back during maple spring the city tried to ban ski masks but that got laughed out. Fascists hate getting laughed at.
Blork 15:31 on 2025-08-30 Permalink
Arguably, chanting “Go Habs Go!” is a prayer.