religious symbols

Quebec Moves to Expand Secularism Law, Limiting Public Religious Practices

Quebec is expanding its secularism laws with a new bill, “secularism 2.0,” which builds upon the existing 2019 law restricting religious symbols in public sector jobs. The new legislation proposes to extend the ban on religious symbols to subsidized daycares and restrict “collective religious practices” in public spaces without municipal authorization. This move follows recent protests and aims to address concerns about religious displays in public areas. The bill has already faced criticism from opposition parties and Muslim organizations, who accuse the government of creating division and engaging in identity politics.

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A German Muslim woman has been barred from working as a lay judge because she wears a headscarf which was alleged to be in violation of the requirement of neutrality. The matter is now before the constitutional court

As a German Muslim woman barred from working as a lay judge due to wearing a headscarf, I am faced with a complex issue of religious expression clashing with the requirement of neutrality in a secular state. The allegations of bias have raised questions about the role of religion in government positions and the concept of secularism. The debate surrounding the separation of religion and state is not a new one, with examples from around the world highlighting the challenges and controversies that arise when religious symbols are brought into public institutions.

In the case of Turkey, the promise to “free” people from bans on religious symbols led to a loss of secularity and the use of religion for political gain.… Continue reading