Comment & Debate
“Muslim head scarf no threat to Quebec values, report says”. Montreal Gazzette. May 19, 2008 – “Bouchard and Taylor talk of some Quebecers’ “often irrational” opposition to the hijab, which they see as a denial of a woman’s femininity, a symbol of her submission to men and to God, or simply a restrictive piece of clothing that would be better left in a drawer.
They quote from a brief submitted to them in November by a woman during their 17-city tour of the province: “In 2007, in Quebec, when a Muslim women wears the veil, I tremble,” the woman wrote.
The hijab should be greeted in day-to-day life as a possibility to connect with someone with a different way of life, according to Bouchard and Taylor.
They also say it’s wrong to think that all veiled Muslim women are somehow under a man’s thumb.
“There’s a strong feminist current among Muslim women. It follows an original path and is a model that differs from Quebec feminism. It goes along with the wearing of the head scarf.””