Khan: Quebec's Bill 21 isn't about secularism, it's about atheism

The principle of the separation of “church” and state in western democracies is based on the premise that the state will not mandate or advocate an official religion. But that is not what Bill 21 would do.

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/khan-quebecs-bill-21-isnt-about-secularism-its-about-atheism?fbclid=IwAR2A3sKBUnKgNsaqDkOwhgbdbB27723J3XR6vIWXL0JWdJeZHw_7juq5Bxg

In the debate surrounding Quebec’s secularism legislation, Bill 21, which is currently being examined by a legislative committee in public hearings, the Quebec government has made much of the fact that the legislation is intended to maintain the secular nature of Quebec’s public institutions, and ensure that the government is not officially promoting a particular faith or religion.

However, the manner in which the CAQ government of Premier François Legault is implementing its interpretation of secularism, and the anti-religious fervour apparent in the debate around the bill, demonstrates that the de facto state religion of Quebec is radical atheism, shrouded in the language of extremist secularism.

The principle of the separation of “church” and state in western democracies is based on the premise that the state will not mandate or advocate an official religion, as can be found in some European countries, many Muslim majority nations, as well as some nations where Buddhism is dominant. The intent of the principle is for the state to be neutral in matters of faith, not elevate the status of one faith over others, and allow citizens to practise their faith without fear of state coercion or persecution, particularly if their faith is different from that of the majority population ...