Malala headscarf picture sparks criticism

A Quebec education minister is being criticised for posting a photo with Malala Yousafzai

A picture of Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and Canadian minister Jean-François Roberge sparked widespread criticism on social media. Why? Because Malala wears a headscarf.

Let us explain.

In June this year, Quebec passed a law that prevented civil servants in positions of "authority" from wearing symbols such as the hijab, kippah or turban while at work.



The controversial secularism bill covers judges, police officers, teachers and some other public figures.

The law made people in the province unhappy and sparked protests

Although it did not single out any specific religion, the law could prevent a global education campaigner to teach in the Canadian province as she also wears a headscarf.

Some critics argue the law unfairly targets Muslim women in Quebec who wear hijabs or other head-coverings.

Quebec Education Minister Roberge defended the law and after he posed with Malala, some online commentators are calling him a ‘hypocrite’.

When a journalist asked him on Twitter how he would respond if Malala wanted to teach in Quebec, he said, “I would certainly tell her that it would be an immense honour and that in Quebec, as is the case in France (where we are now) and in other open and tolerant countries, teachers cannot wear religious symbols in performing their duties.”

Je lui dirais certainement que ce serait un immense honneur et qu’au Québec, comme c’est le cas en France (où nous sommes actuellement) et dans d’autres pays ouverts et tolérants, les enseignants ne peuvent pas porter de signes religieux dans l’exercice de leurs fonctions. #ÉduQc https://t.co/LEWztEU0ul

— Jean-F. Roberge (@jfrobergeQc) July 5, 2019

Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012 for daring to go to school and has since been recognised internationally for her work campaigning for girls' education.



As her campaign for girls’ education and women rights has been very strong and acknowledged worldwide, Malala’s response to Roberge stance on the Quebec law would be interesting to know.

 

This story originally appeared on the BBC.