CBC Montreal: City council to debate soccer turban ban:

Montreal city council to debate soccer turban ban - Montreal - CBC News

It's the City of Montreal's turn to debate the Quebec Soccer Federation's decision banning Sikhs from wearing turbans on the soccer field, as the political fallout from the controversy widens.

Councillor Marvin Rotrand tweeted late Wednesday that he will present an emergency motion demanding the federation reverse its decision at council's June 17 meeting.

The mayor of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension, Anie Samson, and Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grace councillor Lionel Perez have both offered to support the motion ...

Don Macpherson: The turban ban is likely to play well

Don Macpherson: The turban ban is likely to play well

At least [Brigitte Frot, General Manager, Federation de Soccer du Quebec] stopped short of saying they should go back to their own country, which they can’t anyway, since they’re already there. She would settle for their playing out of sight of the rest of us ...

 In the Journal de Montréal, the province’s most-read newspaper, columnist Joseph Facal congratulated the federation for standing up to the “fanaticism” of religious minorities (who are simply defending a freedom promised them by Quebec’s own charter of rights) ...

And poll results recently published by the government suggest that the federation will have public opinion on its side. In the poll on religious accommodations commissioned by the government in March, one of the questions was 

Gerald Bouchard: The turban ban will not stand

Young Sikh soccer player hopes to be allowed back on a real field, with his turban - The Globe and Mail

Gerard Bouchard, who co-presided a provincial commission on minority accommodation, said Quebecers are more suspicious of religion than people elsewhere in the country ...

“The abuses committed by the Catholic clergy, especially toward women, and the forms of oppression practiced here, left very bad memories. They left a negative legacy that, for example, has been one of the driving forces behind feminism here...

Bouchard said court decisions have established limits on practising religion in public – and the turban ban doesn’t meet any of them, he said. He said there’s no demonstrable threat to safety, or to the outcome of a game, or to anyone else.

Yves Boisvert: Le turban de Jackie Robinson

Le turban de Jackie Robinson | Yves Boisvert | Yves Boisvert

Où es-tu donc passé, Jackie Robinson?

Dire que c'est Montréal qui a accueilli le premier Noir du baseball majeur. Et nous voilà à nous ridiculiser en expulsant des enfants sikhs des terrains de soccer...
«Qu'ils jouent dans leur cour», a dit Brigitte Frot, directrice de la Fédération de soccer du Québec, pas gênée du tout.
La sécurité! Elle est bonne, celle-là. Combien de morts par strangulation due à un turban l'an dernier, déjà? Des blessés?
Évidemment que ça n'a rien à voir. Quand une fédération de sport ne nous sert même pas l'argument sportif (après tout, on joue avec la tête, au soccer), ça sent mauvais.
Il n'y a qu'un mot pour résumer cette décision, vraiment, et c'est «intolérance».

Turban sikh et ballon rond | André Pratte | Votre opinion

Turban sikh et ballon rond | André Pratte | Votre opinion

La Fédération de soccer du Québec a décidé la fin de semaine dernière de continuer d'interdire le port du turban. Cette décision a pour effet d'écarter du jeu quelques dizaines de jeunes Québécois de religion sikhe, à moins qu'ils acceptent de laisser leur turban (et donc leur foi) sur la touche. Pourtant, s'il y a un cas où un accommodement aurait été possible, c'est bien celui-là.

NDP: FIFA rules a “crutch” for Quebec Soccer Federation

FIFA rules a “crutch” for Quebec Soccer Federation, NDP says

“It’s not for politicians to be making decisions here. The federation should be speaking to these communities.” [Ed: Federation de Soccer du Quebec (FSQ) gets funding from Gouvernement du Quebec ]

Although FIFA has been hard to reach so far, New Democratic Party sports critic Matthew Dubé said a clarification from the association could resolve the controversy. [Ed: FIFA deals with Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), not provincial wings]

Dubé says he is reaching out the Fédération Internationale de Football Association in an attempt to persuade the [FSQ] to remove its ban against players who wear turbans. [Ed: CSA is the relevant co-ordinating body]

Montreal Gazette: Excluded Sikhs urged to sue

Excluded Sikhs urged to sue

MONTREAL — The few hundred Sikhs in Quebec suddenly excluded from playing soccer because of a recent decision by the Fédération de soccer du Québec to ban turbans on pitches should sue for damages, says the head of a race relations centre.
“It is essentially about protecting minority rights and sending a costly message of deterrence to any institution that considers denying to members of religious minorities their constitutional – if the institution is public – or civil rights,” said Fo Niemi, executive director of the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations. “Otherwise, there is no financial and legal consequence to discrimination.”
He said those who can no longer play because of their turbans could file a complaint with the Quebec Human Rights Commission or file a civil suit in Quebec Superior Court, and the burden of proof would then be on the federation to prove that wearing a turban is a security risk.

The Globe and Mail: Feds urge Quebec soccer officials to reverse turban ban

Feds urge Quebec soccer officials to reverse turban ban - The Globe and Mail

A decision to ban turban-wearing Sikh kids from Quebec soccer fields was loudly condemned Tuesday by the federal government.
Conservative ministers weighed in on a provincial sports-association decision that has attracted coverage from some major international media.
They criticized the Quebec Soccer Federation’s decision to uphold its ban and demanded that the association let turban-wearing kids play ...

Metro Montreal (PC): "Ils peuvent jouer dans leur cour": Le turban demeurera interdit au soccer au Québec

Le turban demeurera interdit au soccer au Québec | Métro

Lorsqu’elle a été interrogée sur ce que les organisateurs devront dire à un enfant de 5 ans qui se présentera avec son turban au moment de l’inscription, elle a répondu: «ils peuvent jouer dans leur cour mais pas avec des arbitres officiels, pas avec les règlements officiels du soccer. Nous n’avons pas le choix.»

La Presse: Turban: la Fédération québécoise de soccer défend sa position

Turban: la Fédération québécoise de soccer défend sa position | Marie-Michèle Sioui | Soccer

Or selon les membres de la communauté sikhe avec qui La Presse s'est entretenue, cette démarche est quasi impossible, puisque seuls les membres de la FIFA, comme Soccer Canada, peuvent communiquer directement avec l'association. Il a été impossible de rejoindre cette organisation basée en Suisse lundi après-midi, celle-ci étant déjà fermée en raison du décalage horaire.