The Federation of Women turns their back on gender equality

The Federation of Women of Quebec (FFQ) asked to intervene at the Quebec Court of Appeal to defend the wearing of the Islamic veil by teachers of public schools in Quebec.This position is disconcerting not only in the historical context of women's fight for equality in Canada, but also with regard to international news where the Afghanes, the Iranian women, the Saudi and many others call for greater solidarity to defendtheir rights.

This request for intervention is all the more disturbing since the FFQ has been without president since June 2020 and that no formal consultation with its members seems to have been made for an intervention at the Court of Appeal, in the judicial challenge ofThe law on secularism of the state.

Right to equality in Canada

The FFQ, which has existed since 1966, was of all fights for achieving gender equality in Canada.She actively participated, in 1970, in the royal commission of inquiry into the situation of women in Canada, which identified great monotheistic religions as a cause of the inferiorization of women and their delay in enjoying legal, technological advances, social and cultural of our societies.It is at his request that the Council for the Statute of Women, an organization's mission of advising the Quebec government on all questions related to equality between women and men, was created in 1973.This council concluded, in the early 2000s, that women's right to real equality posed a limit to the right to freedom of religion.This fundamental movement in favor of gender equality and in which the FFQ participated, is also found in the international conventions in which Quebec and Canada adhere.The latter specify that gender equality cannot be restricted, while freedom of religion can be to protect the right of women to be treated also.

It is therefore surprising to see today the FFQ dissociate itself from the universal fight for equality between women and men, and support patriarchal practices.By wanting to defend the wearing of the teaching of the teachers in court of appeal, the FFQ closes its eyes on the sexist message conveyed by this religious sign and on the influence of the teacher, who carries him, on vulnerable children for whom sheconstitutes a figure of authority, a model for the child.All this is incomprehensible.

International news

Even more disconcerting, while Afghanes cry for help in front of the Taliban regime, than Iranian women, terrorized by their Islamist regime, denounce the promotion of the veil by Western feminists, than Saudi women live "apartheid" against women, the FFQ remains silent.Where did its international female solidarity go?How can she remain as insensitive to the influence of religious fact on women's rights?Why does she abandon these women prisoners of these patriarchal systems?

Especially since the inferiorization of women by religions also exists in Canada.The experience of the Canadian Yasmine Mohammed, who has just published Unveound: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam, is eloquent proof of this.She says that at 12 years old, encouraged by her teacher, she denounces the mistreatment inflicted by her fundamentalist stepfather as well as the imposition of the Islamic veil.The Canadian judge replied "These are common practices in your community, we do not want to interfere.The National Council of Canadian Muslims also recognizes that for some Canadian Muslim families, wearing the veil is compulsory.Parents of Muslim culture also came to the superior court to ask that their children be protected from all religious proselytism.They oppose their children to be exposed to the transmission of values contrary to their deep convictions and the principle of gender equality.They do not want their daughters to learn, explicitly or implicitly, that they must cover themselves to be modest and modest or that their boys have this vision of their sisters and are perceived as sexual predators in power.Their testimonies are strong and powerful.

Why does the FFQ close its eyes on this reality?By prioritizing the decision -making autonomy of women5, the FFQ defends patriarchal signs rather than dignity and gender equality.It makes no sense !

As the late Diane Guilbault, universalist feminist: “If the right to choose is a gain in feminists, all choices are not necessarily feminist."6" To keep their achievements, women must continue their fight by keeping in mind the fundamental objective of feminism: the emancipation of all women.»»

Marie-Claude Girard

Retired from the Canadian Human Rights Commission