Question:
Does Quebec’s Charter of Values really pose a threat to religious
freedom?
Answer: Today’s answer will
first address the effect of the Charter on the Bahá’í
community. Any government employees who are Bahá’ís will not
be affected by Quebec’s proposed secular Charter of Values banning
“ostentatious”, distinctive religious dress. The Bahá’í sacred writings
do not require that Bahá’ís dress themselves in any particular way by
which they may be identified as Bahá’ís. Some Bahá’ís wear a ring
bearing a distinctive Bahá’í symbol, but this is not a law of the
Bahá’í Faith, and it is not a practice that is observed by all.
Ideally, any distinction Bahá’ís may have will not derive from a
religiously identifiable item, but from their character and conduct.
Character not clothing is the best
garment.
I don’t view it as my role here to issue condemnations of any
provincial or federal government. Nonetheless, when viewed
objectively, we can say this much: the proposed legislation
is forcing government employees, who take their faith seriously, to
choose between their job and their faith. This is a hard choice to
make. And, in this case, as for virtually any political
issue, positions have become polarized and adversarial: rural vs.
urban, religious vs. secular, federal vs. provincial. A
negative unity has been created, in so far as those religionists who
feel their human rights are being threatened have united against the
government.
Canada, especially in large urban centres, has become a pluralistic,
ethnically diverse society, where members of all the world’s religions
practically rub shoulders on a daily basis. This current controversy
provides a learning opportunity. It allows the possibility for us to
ascertain why distinctive religious dress is so important to the
various religious followers; why it must be a requirement of faith.
Bahá’ís have valued for over a century now the concept of “unity in
diversity”. All the world’s religions are true and are
revealed by God. Our sacred writings are our charter of values. They
cherish the hope that followers of all religions will associate in
close harmony without prejudice. They also cherish the hope that every
government on earth will permit its citizens to practice their chosen
faith peacefully and in good conscience. -
Jack
McLean
