The following article was published by Toronto Star on Aug. 23, 2013.
Re “Bad legislation PQ’s cross to bear” (Editorial, Aug. 22): A ban on all religious clothing in a public setting, as proposed by Quebec’s Parti Quebecois, completely goes against Canada’s glowing reputation of being a country where freedom of every type reigns supreme. As an immigrant to this great land, my family and I left our homeland of Pakistan where our beliefs of Ahmadiyya Islam are considered heretical, and punishable by law if practised openly. We left everything behind for Canada, because this is where we have been able to practise our religion openly and freely. And there are countless other immigrants like us who have come from all over the globe for the same freedom. This proposal threatens to change all that, compelling Canadians to leave their religious customs and traditions, something I thought that Canada stood up for. As long as Quebec is a part of Canada, this is unacceptable.
Falah Sadiq, Toronto
