Posted at 4:00 p.m
From the private sector
I agree with Mr Drainville. In Quebec, religion, whatever it is, is and must remain private. So pray in places of worship, at home, in parks, but not at school. These unreasonable accommodations will lead us to discrimination against many groups of citizens, starting with women.
Maryse Lauzon
Religion lives in the head and in the heart
Religion does not need any flashy gestures, it is primarily lived in the head and in the heart. Let’s not be naïve: Islam is proselytizing all over the world…
Louise Richard
A logistical challenge
In my opinion, the search for spirituality is part of human nature. Whether our beliefs are religious, scientific, or atheistic, they are natural and necessary. I am for a place of meditation, be it meditation, prayer or reflection. Open to all, space permitting. The religious specificity of Muslims, which I know a little about, separates prayer between men and women. This presents a logistical challenge, but it is not impossible to manage. So I’m in favor of accommodation.
Rejean Bouchard
No need for a specific location
As a former believer who was raised Catholic, I think of what my mother told me when I was little in school. She assured me that I could pray anywhere, anytime, even in secret. No specific location is required.
Gaila Narusevicius, day educator
The school must remain non-denominational
Prayer and any religious practice have no place in Quebec’s public schools, which have been non-denominational since the passage of Law 118 on June 16, 2000. More than ever, public schools must ensure religious neutrality in order to be the foundation of the constitution of Quebec’s culture, shared and embraced by future adult Quebecers, regardless of their ethnicity, creed, or morality or nuns. And this principle of school religious neutrality, which the non-denominational status of public schools requires, should also apply to private schools that receive funding from the Quebec government.
Francois Gougeon
malaise
Mr. Drainville is absolutely right: Prayer is a fundamental right, but I don’t want anyone praying in public to be annoying. People who feel the need to pray can do so at home or in places of worship.
Michael Tremblay
Let’s teach philosophy instead
We used to spend the first half of the morning studying the catechism and church history. It was necessary to pray in the morning on arrival, to pray the rosary on the return after dinner, to go to confession on the first Thursday of the month and to go to Mass once a week. All this time is over and it’s for the best. In my opinion it would be better to teach philosophy and leave all religion at home and in the church, mosque or other temple. I agree with the government’s decision. In addition, the ideal place for rest and reflection in the school should be the library. if it has.
Janine Theriault, Montreal
not endanger students
Mr. Drainville is a mess and doesn’t understand the principle of reasonable accommodation. A meditation room meets the need and avoids situations that endanger the young people (e.g. praying in stairwells). The code of conduct is the responsibility of the school board and is enshrined in law. The minister interferes in the tasks that fall to the school and its administration. It is divisive and fails to address the real issues, including the existence of government-subsidized private religious schools.
Louise Chenard, Retired Principal, Montreal
Against a variable secularism
Totally agree with the minister. I am against variable secularism. School must remain a place of learning. Mosques and churches exist for religious practices. Above all, do not turn classrooms into places of prayer if there is not enough space to welcome new students!
Raymonde St Amour
The debate is already closed
But of course yes, secularism and place of prayer are mutually exclusive. There are no compromises to be made. Prayer, whether Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, happens elsewhere. Outside the secular school. We will not go back to “adequate accommodation” or curtains in the windows, this is ridiculous. We stop hijab-wearing teachers from teaching, but we open prayer rooms? In addition, Muslim students are marginalized by their male co-religionists? The debate is long over.
Brigitte Bachellerie
Who disturbs?
I really don’t see a problem. Who cares really? The secular state should not interfere in religious practice. But if students want to practice their religion outside of class time in an available space, who cares? It may be necessary for the leaders of the group to provide some monitoring, some framing. You must ensure yourself that the practice is safe. Some practices may be excluded, such as B. the separation of boys and girls. But it is an additional service for parents who want their children to practice a religion. Nothing wrong with that!
Peter Martin
The students are there to learn
Hats off to Minister Drainville. He’s absolutely right. Let people who wish to pray do so in the designated religious temples and not in schools where students are there to study.
Carole Fradette, Westmount