(Montreal) A civil liberties group and a Muslim advocacy organization are asking the Superior Court in Montreal on Tuesday for an injunction that would suspend the ban on prayer rooms in Quebec public schools.
Lawyers for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the National Council of Canadian Muslims argued Tuesday that the ban, decreed by the Minister of Education, would cause serious and irreparable harm if it were not suspended until the legal challenge is heard on the merits.
At the end of April, Minister Bernard Drainville prohibited public school administrators from providing students with spaces for prayer. The minister said students would still be allowed to pray silently and discreetly.
But both bodies argue that for Muslims this is not an option. They believe that students’ constitutional rights to freedom of religion and dignity are being violated because these young people are forced to leave the school grounds to practice their religion.
The Government of Quebec maintains that this measure preserves the secular nature of public schools. Government prosecutors are due in court later on Tuesday.