Muslim Women Feels Not Safe In Quebec
Hanady Saad has been living in Quebec for the last 23 years. However, she felt like an outsider when a stranger yelled to call her a 'terrorist' and asked her to 'go back home.'
Saad, along with her friends, was strolling along René-Lévesque Boulevard in Montreal some weeks back. She said the stranger started abusing her and told her that he did not want to see her hijab. He demanded their scarves to be taken off. She added she hardly heard such anti-Muslim comments before. She also informed that she had recently been targeted in a grocery store, café and also at work.
The proposed Quebec Charter has already caused huge controversy worldwide. The value charter has asked questions about the secularism in the country. The charter demanded the removal of any religious symbol. It also prohibited flaunting any religious headgear like hijab and turban.
There have been Islamophobic attacks in the locality. Collectif Québécois contre l'Islamophobie (the Quebec Collective Against Islamophobia) has reported that there has been a 300 percent rise in anti-Muslim attack complaints. Adil Charkaoui, the spokesman of the organization, informed that more women have started staying inside due to fear.
Charkaoui has informed that Muslim women who wear veils have started getting scared to go out in public. They also avoid walking alone in malls, metros, buses and parks. He noted the situation has really started getting harmful.
The minister responsible for the value charter has informed that the debate concerning the charter has mostly been healthy. Bernard Drainville, the minister of Democratic Institutions, has also said that people should be respectful about one another in spite of the disagreement.
The Parti Québécois government will discuss the legislation Thursday, Nov. 7. The PQ, which is a minority government, must secure support from the opposition to pass the controversial charter.