An Open Letter to Quebec

Dear Quebec,

Bonjour!

It's been just two months since I last visited you and ever since I've been preparing to go back by taking french lessons and eating lots of your delicious gravy-covered fries.

I love your province. The rural areas are beautiful, Quebec City's historic landscape is breathtaking and Montreal feels wrong in all the right ways. I even love your adorable "french" dialect you so cherish. But while I acknowledge the looming threat of us damn anglos taking over, I think you might have gone slightly overboard with the cultural preservation thing to the point that it's left you with a wee case of virulant racism.

And that's why I'm writing you, Quebec. It's about the Muslim thing.

Specifically, the niqab and your desire to ban it. Look, mon ami, I totally see where you're coming from. I hate the idea of of the niqab. A world view where women should cover their faces in public seems inherently misogynistic to the core, especially when the only sacrifice men have to make is grow out sweet beards.

But the thing is, other people choosing to wear the niqab doesn't actually hurt me, I just don't want them to wear it because I think it's wrong. That's the same strand of logic that prevented gay couples from being allowed to marry for so long, and in some backwater countries still does.

Who am I, as a 20-something male of average height, average weight and average ethnicity, to tell other people what to wear? Like the old saying goes, "if you don't believe in freedom of speech for those you disagree with, then you're a dick."

Besides, do you really think you're that secular? Here's a test: look around and see if you can spot anyone in the zip code who's not Catholic. Last time I was there I talked to several smart, well educated people who had no idea what the protestant religion even involved. They asked me if it involved Jesus, seriously.

If the Pope came to town would you deny him his assortment of funny hats? I thought not. Then again I guess it's not like the strict requirements of the Catholic religion led to any problems for anyone, ever.

Just bite the bullet on this one, mon frere. Do you really want to be known as the one who forced muslim women to choose between their faith and seeing a doctor or going to school? Why not just solve this problem like you do every other and force them to learn french?

Problem solved.

Cordialement,

Paul

PS - Thanks for Mordecai Richler.