Mataram (ANTARA) – Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai can teach in the Canadian province of Quebec if she removes her hijab, Quebec Education Minister Jean-François Roberge said.
Quebec recently passed Bill 21, which prohibits government employees from wearing religious symbols when dealing with the public, including teachers, nurses and bus drivers.
Roberge uploaded a photo on Twitter on Friday (5/7) showing him standing with Malala, a Pakistani who is an honorary citizen of Canada, according to a report by Turkish news agency Anadolu – which was followed by Antara in Jakarta, Monday .
The photo was taken during the G20 planning meeting, which they attended recently in France. Ironically, the two men discussed access to education.
The photo sparked criticism from a number of people, who accused them of hypocrisy, and also sparked anger on Twitter over the UU 21 regulations.
“Mr. Roberge, what would you say if (Malala) Yousafzai wanted to become a teacher in Quebec? this was the question of a journalist, Salim Nadim Valji, on Twitter.
Roberge responded to the question by saying it would be a “huge honor” if Malala taught in Quebec. But, he added, as in “other open and tolerant countries, teachers cannot wear religious symbols when carrying out their duties.”
Malala survived being shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012, when she was 15. A number of Taliban targeted Malala because she dared to speak out loudly in favor of girls’ education. The irresponsible attack on Malala has sparked outrage in Pakistan and internationally.
“Are you telling him that in Quebec, women who dress like Malala don’t have access to certain public service jobs? Because of your government,” another Twitter user wrote.
But at the end of June, Roberge asserted that even if the law must be respected in schools, no inspectors would be deployed around the implementation of Law 21.
Legal challenges against Bill 21 have been filed by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association as well as the National Council of Canadian Muslims.
Both groups said Bill 21 unfairly targeted Muslim women.
“Thinker. Hardcore web aficionado. Zombie evangelist. Pop culture trailblazer. Student. Passionate twitter maven.”
