Parents and students gathered outside Chelsea Elementary School on Sunday to stand in solidarity with Fatemeh Anvari who, last week, was removed from her Grade 3 teaching position because she was wearing a hijab, which is not permitted under Quebec’s Bill 21.

What started as a few people expressing their anger and frustration with what happened to Anvari, soon became a gathering of some thirty people showing support by tying green ribbons to the schoolyard fence.

According to Farhia Ahmed, a parent and local human rights activist who was on hand to support the teacher, the Bill is “hurtful” and “a cover for racism”.

Under Bill 21, often referred to as the Quebec secularism law, all Quebec civil servants in positions of authority, including teachers, are prohibited from wearing religious symbols such as hijabs, kippas and turbans. The law was officially passed in June, 2019.

Anvari, who had been teaching an English class for almost a month, was reassigned to a non-teaching role within the school.

Corrie Scott, a concerned parent, spread the word about the gathering by inviting her friends who, in turn, told their friends to come out in support of Anvari.

“This law, that has this sort of neutral façade, really does target a very specific group of people, in particular, Muslim women,” said Scott.

“And I think that’s discriminatory,” she said.

Farhia Ahmed described how she explained the situation to her children.

“The sad part is, I almost didn’t have to. We live in Quebec, and they were expecting this,” she said.

Although her kids were not surprised, it still hit home for her daughters who recently started wearing the hijab. She described how it affected them to see someone being punished for wearing a hijab, and realizing it could happen to them.

“It was really hurtful for them,” Ahmed said.

“It’s a sincere plea for people to just understand humanity,” said Ahmed emotionally, who, as a Muslim mother, is not at all immune to hearing this sort of news.

As the crowd grew, people started encouraging the children to tie green ribbons around the fence.

“It’s unfortunate that children as young as this that are here today have to be advocates for basic rights,” said Ahmed, expressing her dismay that, in this day and age, people are still having to deal with this sort of discrimination.

Wayne Daly, interim chair of The Western Quebec School Board, told THE EQUITY that he had no choice but to remove Anvari from her teaching position.

“I disagree with this law, our school board disagrees with this law, but as citizens of the province, we’re expected to respect the law.”

Daly pointed out that possible candidates for open positions are now being asked if they have read and understood Bill 21.

“It’s now a requirement for teachers in the province of Quebec to respect Law 21,” he said.

Daly said they were working with a tough situation and did everything they could to ensure the teacher still had a job at Chelsea Elementary School. As reported last week by the Wakefield-based newspaper, The Low Down, Anvari was reassigned to head a literacy project for all students that will focus on inclusion and awareness of diversity at the school.

When the young woman was removed from her teaching position, it was just weeks after the Nov. 9 ruling by the Quebec Court of Appeal denying a request by the English Montreal School Board for an exemption that would have protected English school boards in Quebec from certain conditions of Bill 21 until challenges to the law could be heard in court, a process that could take years.

In a press conference last Friday, Premier François Legault was asked how he would explain the situation to the young students who were upset to lose their teacher.

“The school board should have not hired this person in the first place, given Bill 21,” he said, adding that the law was voted on by the National Assembly democratically and that he thinks it’s “a reasonable law, a balanced law.” He said Quebec has made the choice to be a secular state and that the law must be respected.

Back on the school grounds, and looking out into the sea of green ribbons covering the fence, parents continued to gather and discuss the situation.

Looming over the protest, a large, festively-decorated Christmas tree prompted Stacy Douglas to comment that religious symbolism in public spaces seems to be tolerated just fine.

“There’s a religious Christmas tree on the school’s yard, while the province and the school board chooses to enact Bill 21,” she said, noting the hypocrisy.

For Scott, organizing the protest was about showing up for her community and being good role models for their kids.

“I think it’s really important to explain to kids that when you see something that’s unfair, we have to do something about it,” she said.

Scott hopes that Anvari feels supported and loved by her community.

“That was the goal of the event,” she said.

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