A teacher in Chelsea, Que., was removed from her Grade 3 classroom because the hijab she wore contravened the province’s law on state secularism, sparking an outcry among local families and a range of Canadian politicians who have denounced the legislation as “discriminatory.”
In a tweet on Thursday, Kazem Gharibabadi reacted to the dismissal of an Iranian teacher of elementary school Fatemeh Anvari:
"Fatemeh Anvari, a Grade 3 teacher at Chelsea Elementary School, Quebec, was told she could no longer continue in her role because her hijab ran afoul of Que’s Bill 21. Parents, students, and other community members rallied to protest against Anvari's removal and to support her."
"We call on the Canadian federal government to intervene in the case and support those Quebecers that are fighting this discriminatory law through its annulment," he added.
According to the Canadian media, the board of schools of Quebec announced the dismissal of a female teacher for wearing hijab, in order to implement the law on state secularism, which came into force in 2019.
Following the dismissal, the parents of the students of Chelsea Elementary School in Quebec demonstrated their support for the teacher by tying green ribbons to the outer wall of the school.
According to 2019 statistics, the Muslim population in Quebec is more than 5 million, forming 3.7% of the total population of 35 million people in Canada