Canadian teacher fired for wearing hijab gets support

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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Students and staff at a secondary school in Ottawa, Canada, have sent messages of support to an elementary school teacher in Chelsea, Quebec, who was kicked out of class for wearing hijab.

Teacher Fatemeh Anvari learned earlier this month that she would no longer be allowed to teach Year 3 at Chelsea Primary School due to Bill 21, the Quebec law that bans the wearing of religious symbols by certain government employees reputed to hold positions of authority when on the job.

At Ridgemont High School on Alta Vista Drive, green ribbons and messages of support for Anvari were posted on the fence. Hundreds of signatures appear on the poster which reads, “The staff and students of Ridgemont High School support you Fatemeh Anvari.

Anvari is an alumnus of Ridgemont High School, the page reports. ottawa.ctvnews.ca, Saturday, December 11, 2021

Anvari has been a substitute teacher at the school since March and was recruited for a teaching position towards the end of October 2021.

She was offered a new position to work on literacy and diversity with children at Chelsea Elementary School.

Anvari says the hijab is part of her identity. “Yes, I am a Muslim, but for me, (the hijab) has another meaning of my identity. How I choose to represent myself as a strong person in a world that may not want me to be who I am” , she said. .

The law, which was partially upheld by a Quebec court this spring, has been criticized for targeting Muslims, Sikhs and Jews. Federal party leaders demanded an apology during the September federal election debate after moderators called it discriminatory.

Premier Francois Legault said Friday that the Western Quebec School Board should not hire Anvari.

But Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will take legal action against the Quebec law that saw a teacher lose his job last week for refusing to remove his hijab.

“No one in Canada should lose their job because of what they wear or their religious beliefs,” the office said. Justin Trudeau in an e-mail, quoted from Reuterss. “We have not closed the door on the possibility of making representations in court in the future,” he added.