In a recent decision that has invoked heated debates around religious rights and freedoms, the Supreme Court of Canada declined last Thursday to hear the appeal of a school that had been accused of indulging in discriminatory practices against its Muslim students by denying them access to prayer space.
Webber Academy, a private institution in Calgary, had prohibited two of its Muslim students from publicly offering prayers within the campus area, justifying that furnishing a prayer space would conflict with the institute’s secular standing. The school’s president, upon discovering that staff had been availing the students with a space for prayer, restricted the act of prayer to a manner that was considered as discreet and without the usual gestures of bowing or kneeling.
The parents of these students subsequently filed complaints against the school in 2012, alleging that Webber Academy had been discriminatory towards their sons. In response to this, the Alberta Human Rights Commission decided in favour of the families and enforced a fine of $26,000 against the school. The Alberta Court of Appeal upheld this ruling the following year, dismissing the argument that the provision of a prayer space would impact the school’s secular ethos.
This intimidating move from Webber Academy is only one example among many, of schools in Canada curbing student access to prayer space, leading to wide criticisms that such policies discriminate against Muslim students whose prayer practices involve physical gestures that cannot be easily concealed.
Commentators have contended that such policies mirror a rising trend of anti-Muslim discrimination. This has been a matter of concern for Canadian leaders and human rights organizations who have been striving to combat such issues over the recent years.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, earlier this month, rearticulated the country’s commitment to fighting Islamophobia, highlighting the appointment of the first Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, tasked with pioneering initiatives to tackle anti-Muslim discrimination nationwide. Additionally, Canada is set to renew its Anti-Racism Strategy, with an aim to address and mitigate anti-Muslim bigotry.