From the Burqa to the Kirpan: Manufacturing Hate in Quebec
On the heels of a story that broke out yesterday in Quebec, the Bloc Quebecois (a Federal party in Canada) is now indicating that it will put forth a measure in order to pass a parliamentary ban on the kirpan (a symbolic dagger that some devout religious Sikhs use) in the House of Commons in Ottawa.
As I have stated before, on several different occasions, Canada is not the only jurisdiction in the world experiencing this type of anti-immigrant and hyper-secularism national discussion. Take a look for yourself: Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Denmark (all undergoing their own deliberations on the role of Muslims and their garments in the public sphere). Others, like Belgium and France have already banned the use of religious symbols in public spaces (mainly targeting Muslim communities). The “USA-Mexico-illegal aliens” triangle seems to be an always popular vote grabber during election season. And the list goes on…
The question of accommodation for religious or ethnic minorities continues to be a struggle in Western democracies, and these are conversations, I believe citizens and governments should be having. However, in all of the aforementioned examples, the conversation has been hijacked by reactionary and populist political parties in order to ignite (or reignite in some cases) their political careers.
The same is true here in Canada. The Bloc Quebecois have taken on this fight not because it is a party that genuinely cares about secularism in Canada, or the safety of individuals entering the House of Commons. They are championing this initiative because it ignites the silent anger in people; it speaks to the ignorance and fears of Canadians. More accurately, it gives the Bloc the opportunity to defend the flawed notion that Quebec “values” are different than those in the rest of the country. This is lowest common denominator politics, but unfortunately, it has the capacity to work.
What Canada needs at times like these, as the nation begins to listen, is to have a federal leader who has the intestinal fortitude to throw away the predictable speaking notes, is comfortable with roughing a few feathers, and begin to speak some truth.
Multiculturalism may not be a cherished value in Quebec, as some separatists have suggested, but manufacturing hate and division should never be accepted as the Canadian way --no matter which region of the country you call home.