Bill 21
Bill 21 was passed in Quebec in 2019 and has remained one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in Canadian politics. From the National Assembly of Quebec: "The purpose of this bill is to affirm the secularism of the State and to set out the requirements that follow from it. [...] based on four principles: the separation of State and religion, the religious neutrality of the State, the equality of all citizens, and freedom of conscience and freedom of religion."
“Never will the Jews or Christians be pleased with you, until you follow their faith. Say, “Allah's guidance is the only ˹true˺ guidance.” And if you were to follow their desires after ˹all˺ the knowledge that has come to you, there would be none to protect or help you against Allah."
(Quran 2:120)
The law officially prohibits the wearing of religious symbols and clothing in professions of the public sector. However, it has only reinforced a systemic targeting of religious communities, disproportionately affecting the Muslim minority of the province. This bill continues to alienate Muslims in ways which go beyond the notion of secularism and its limits.
Focus – The Muslim Perspective
“It is already not in the collective interest of Muslims to serve as a police officer for a racist state, exercise corrupted laws, or teach a curriculum that conflicts with our religion. Therefore, it is not the restriction itself that truly bothers me, rather it is the implications of the bill: It extends to an alarming rise of Islamophobia, constant stigmatization of Muslim women, discrimination in the workforce, and most importantly, a restriction on our fundamental beliefs and practices as Muslims — Niqab is targeted in public academic institutions, praying is considered a form of extremism, state agents surveil our mosques for no reason other than Muslims upholding their faith.”
Secularism as the State's Religion
Quebec's complicated history with the Catholic Church has shaped its battle for secularism. While the official aim of the legislation is to ensure the separation of Church and State, Bill 21 is very clearly an Islamophobic and exclusionary policy . It has reached a point where the battle has become against Islam. The media coverage surrounding this legislation alone has been extremely targeted towards Muslims. Since the first attempt at adopting a bill restricting the wearing of religious signs, the media discourse has been primarily targeting Muslim communities. C elebrities and political figures have gone as far as to say they do not trust Muslim women to treat them in hospitals or preached that Muslim women wear the hijab as a submission to men and are oppressed and brainwashed. This normalized Islamophobia and led to a rise in hate crimes committed against Muslims.
Additionally, secularism has become so revered in the West that it has become a sect. “Secularism is always conditioned by its religious, political, and social context. It forms confessional structures and participates in a confessional field in much the same way as the religions out of which it arises did, and do.”
The Québécois context makes no exception, In their attempt to separate Church and State, the Quebec government has pushed secularism to the point of hindering certain liberties, similar to the way the Church involved itself in personal affairs. This results in the State's inappropriate interjection in the private life of its citizens, impeding on their rights, notably, the rights to freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of education, and full participation in society.
Beyond Bill 21
The effects of Bill 21 go beyond the obvious hindrance to our rights. The introduction of the legislation has normalized Islamophobia and increased the rate of hate crimes towards the community. It has also opened the door for the government to feel comfortable announcing the intention to propose a more restrictive bill. The new proposed bill, Bill 94, would extend the ban to niqabs for students, support workers, and every volunteer and staff working in public schools. This would include lunch and after-school care monitors, secretaries and librarians.
“Education Minister Bernard Drainville said the legislation is an attempt to strengthen secularism in schools after reports of problems involving religion. He told reporters that schools in Quebec must respect the "values of Quebec."
Both bills would impede on children's education as it would reduce the amount of eligible workers who are building our children's future. It would affect Montreal in particular because of its diverse population and teacher shortage.
The recent debates over Bill 21 and the extent of secularism have been characterized by topics of reports coming from public schools, most notably, the Bedford incident, which Premier Legault reacted to by announcing that he wishes to outlaw prayers outside in parks, schools, and other public spaces. His message targeted Muslims in their cult as he proceeded to send a message to the 'Islamists'. It even reads in the 'Verification of the measures provided for in the Law on State Secularism', that the verification report is contextualized by the Bedford investigation.
Secularism with an S
With Islam being attacked left and right, whether it is literally or subtly such as in law-making (France, Quebec, etc.), it is important to remind ourselves of the importance of staying steadfast in our religion.
Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The definition of courage is: being willing to offer one's life to defend one's faith and womenfolk, and to defend a neighbor who has been wronged, and to defend an oppressed person who has sought your protection, and to defend someone who has been wronged with regard to his wealth and honor, or who has been wronged in any other way, whether the wrongdoers are small or great in number.
(Al-Akhlaq was-Siyar p. 32)
Allah is Al-Hakam (الْحَكَمُ), the judge, Al-Waali (الْوَالِي), the Governor, and Al-'Adl (الْعَدْلُ), the absolutely just. When faced with these situations, we should stay strong and not despair. We need to show courage and resistance by respecting the commandments of Allah and the limits set by him before anything else. Our deen is not to be compromised.
References
Books & Blog Sources:
Mathelet, Siegfried L. “A Hidden Ideological Scheme under New Secularism: Explaining a Peak of Islamophobia in Quebec (2013-2014).” Islamophobia Studies Journal, vol. 3, no. 1, Oct. 2015, pp. 29–43. EBSCOhost,
Web Sources:
The Marginalia Review. (nd). Secularism as a new religion. https://themarginaliareview.com/secularism-as-a-new-religion/
The Link Newspaper. (nd). Quebec's bastardized secularism. https://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/quebecs-bastardized-secularism
Quebec National Assembly. (nd). Bill on state secularism. https://www.assnat.qc.ca/Media/Process.aspx?MediaId=ANQ.Vigie.Bll.DocumentGenerique_143925en&process=Default&token=ZyMoxNwUn8ikQ+TRKYwPCjWrKwg+vIv9rjij7p3xLGTZDmLVSmJLoqe/vG7/YWzz
CBC News. (nd). Religion in schools: New Quebec law. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/religion-in-schools-new-law-quebec-1.7403485
Government of Quebec. (2025). Report on the measures of the State Secularism Law. https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/adm/min/education/publications-adm/education/rapport-enquete/verification-mesures-prevues-Loi-laicite-etat-rapport-january-2025.pdf