Quebec to ban public prayer in sweeping new secularism law

“The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges”

It’s likewise a dirty trick to target a harmless cultural practice for a disfavored group and ban it for “everyone”.

> It also bans communal prayer on public roads and in parks, with the threat of fines of C$1,125 for groups in contravention of the prohibition.

I'm a stoopid American but I thought Canadians enjoyed freedom of speech. Since they remind us they have Charter that protects speech. I'd like to know how they differentiate between public speaking and public prayer?

I think the concept of banning prayer in public is bonkers, but I see the logic in banning non permited, short notice prayer in the middle of the street that blocks traffic.

If people want to have a large gathering in the park to pray, they should, but with the permit because your occupying a large portion of a public space.

But as it pertains to suddenly kneeling in traffic and praying, I'm in full agreement. That should not happen. I'm open to people praying wherever they want, but it should not and it cannot arbitrarily inconvenience others specifically to block a road.

Why can't they step across to the sidewalk? Why must they be in the center of the road. This is not a rare occurrence, but I think it's the heart of what is being addressed. Even though they may be going at it badly.

This reminds us that America isn't the only place with ridiculous and problematic laws despite getting all the attention. I don't pray in public or private, but I think others should have the right to do so.

> Quebec’s secularism minister, Jean-François Roberge, said the controversial new provisions were the latest steps in a province working towards full secularization. He criticized previous accommodations by post-secondary institutions, including prayer rooms, telling reporters the schools “are not temples or churches or those kinds of places”. The ban on public prayer comes after the group Montreal4Palestine organized Sunday protests outside the city’s Notre-Dame Basilica that included prayers.

> The province will also limit the offering of kosher and halal meals in public institutions. “We think that when the state is neutral, Quebecers are free,” said Roberge, rejecting allegations the law disproportionately affects minorities. “We have the same rules applying to everyone,” he said.

TIL: Quebec has a secularization minister.

This is all pretty horrific stuff. Does accommodating someone's diet really offend you this much? This is squarely an anti-diversity and anti-inclusion movement with a scoundrel's veneer of equality.

Is a prayer ban really needed here? Seems like a lack of enforcing existing laws, such as blocking traffic, is the issue here. Seeing people pray in public is weird to me, but if they aren't obstructing, what's the harm?

In the US, we have a "See you at the pole" prayer event every year where people gather around American flag poles and pray, which seems like a nice way to gather together as a community to meditate and reflect.

Under this law, if my family sets up a picnic at a local park and we pray before our meal, have we violated the law?

This is fantastic. Religion is a personal thing - and those who are unaffiliated should not have to walk on eggshells to appease those who choose to practice in public.

> “It’s shocking to see people blocking traffic, taking possession of the public space without a permit, without warning, and then turning our streets, our parks, our public squares into places of worship,” said Roberge.

It is fucking insane that the response to people blocking traffic in prayer is to outlaw prayer.

Secularism is giving equal treatment to all religions; this isn't Secularism, this is a thinly veiled, fanatical, Crusade against religion.