Khan: Quebec’s Bill 21 is not about secularism, it really is about atheism

The concept of this separation of “church” and state in western democracies is dependent on the premise that their state will perhaps not mandate or advocate an religion that is official. But that’s perhaps not exactly what Bill 21 would do.

People show contrary to the Quebec government’s newly tabled Bill 21 in Montreal, Sunday, April 14, 2019. Picture by Graham Hughes / THE CANADIAN PRESS

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Into the debate surrounding Quebec’s secularism legislation, Bill 21, which can be becoming analyzed by a legislative committee in public areas hearings, the Quebec federal government has made a lot of the reality that the legislation is supposed to keep up the secular nature of Quebec’s general public organizations, and make certain that the us government is certainly not formally marketing a specific faith or faith.

Nonetheless, the way when the CAQ government of Premier François Legault is applying its interpretation of secularism, while the anti-religious fervour apparent within the debate all over bill, shows that the de facto state religion of Quebec is radical atheism, shrouded when you look at the language of extremist secularism.

Khan: Quebec’s Bill 21 is not about secularism, it is about atheism back again to video clip

The concept regarding the separation of “church” and state in western democracies is dependant on the premise that their state will maybe not mandate or advocate an official religion, because are available in some countries in europe, numerous Muslim majority nations, in addition to some countries where Buddhism is principal. The intent regarding the concept is for the continuing state become basic in issues of faith, maybe not raise the status of 1 faith over other people, and invite residents to practise their faith without anxiety about state coercion or persecution, specially if their faith is significantly diffent from compared to almost all populace.

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But this is simply not just what Quebec has been doing with Bill 21.

As a result of historic and effective part the Catholic Church had on Quebec’s culture and government – a task rejected by Quebecers in their 1960s “Quiet Revolution” – there was an underlying prejudice in Quebec culture resistant to the prominence of any faith within the general public square. The irony with this is obvious whenever one takes note of this preponderance of places and roads known as after Catholic saints throughout Quebec. Nonetheless, by shunning conventional religions this kind of a manner that is vehement and also by utilizing the energy regarding the state to impose this philosophy on general public sector workers who practise their faith visibly, the Quebec federal government is within effect advertising the creed of atheism – a non-religious “faith” which advocates that Jesus or gods usually do not occur, there’s absolutely no life after death, and that this product globe is perhaps all that exists.

There clearly was an underlying prejudice in Quebec culture up against the prominence of any faith within the square that is public. The irony of the is clear whenever one takes note regarding the preponderance of places and roads known as after Catholic saints throughout Quebec.

Combined this utilizing the racism that is historical was inclined to minority communities in Quebec – specially noticeable minority communities that are the goals with this bill – and also you create a recipe for conflict, societal divisions and feasible physical violence by radical, racist elements in Quebec whom see these minority faith communities as threats to your “pur laine” nature of Quebec culture.

History is rife with types of what the results are to minority communities as soon as the state advocates an ideology that is official elevates one team above another. There clearly was the extreme exemplory instance of Nazi Germany within the 1930s. Into the contemporary age we can turn to Asia where in fact the formal state practice of atheism has lead to the Falun Gong motion being persecuted, and being declared enemies of this state, where Christians are increasingly being persecuted and churches shuttered, and where in actuality the Uyghur Muslim minority happens to be herded into concentration camps within the millions, where mosques have already been bulldozed, and where bonfires of Quran’s have actually illuminated up the sky.

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Nobody is stating that what exactly is taking place in Asia may happen in Quebec if Bill 21 becomes legislation. But history demonstrates that the targeting and “other-ing” of minority communities results in persecution, physical violence and finally atrocities.

Opponents of Bill 21 haven’t any problem with all the notion of the separation of church and state. But elevating atheistic principles towards the degree of state-sanctioned ideology into the guise of marketing secularism, and forcing general public sector employees to function as the ambassadors of the federal government sanctioned ideology contrary to their inherent belief systems, is not any different than advocating an state religion that is official.

Those things of Legault’s federal government inform you that not only can it be against general public sector employees showing visible expressions of these faith, but it is additionally in preference of those exact same workers presenting atheism as the formal faith associated with Quebec federal government into the general public as section of their jobs.

Fareed Khan is a person legal rights and anti-racism activist located in Gatineau, and a thought frontrunner into the community that is muslim.

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