The Canadian National Islamic Council issued a statement expressing its rejection of what was stated in Bill 21, which was endorsed by the Court of Appeal last week, where the Court of Appeal in Quebec decided to uphold Bill 21, the law that prevents many of our mothers, daughters, and sisters in Quebec from wearing the hijab at work.

The Canadian Islamic Council says in its statement that our community has been fighting this unconstitutional and racist law with all its might since its inception, and now we have reached the most important stage in this battle, which is the journey to the Supreme Court.

The Canadian Islamic Council addresses Muslims in Quebec in particular and Canada in general, saying that as a father and husband to a wonderful woman who wears the hijab, this battle is personal for you, as one in every four Canadian Muslims lives in Quebec and is directly targeted by this most Islamophobic legislation ever seen in our country.

But this law also has far-reaching effects on our community beyond the borders of Quebec, and due to this decision and the precedent set by the Quebec government, any province in the country can pass a law that strips us of our fundamental rights and freedoms.

This precedent constitutes a threat to the heart of Canadian democracy, in a country where our rights are supposed to be enshrined, and what is happening through this law is now enabling politicians to violate our civil liberties at all levels, including the right to worship, our right to protest, or even our right to speak publicly against oppression, whether it is local Islamophobia or the Palestinian cause.

This is a threat not only to Quebec or the Muslim community, but it is currently a threat to all of Canada.

This reminds us of what Allah Almighty says several times in the Holy Qur’an, "Indeed, the wrongdoers will not succeed," as living in a country that allows such laws to pass will lead to giving any government the opportunity to strip us of our rights for popular or political purposes, which is a reality we cannot accept.

For this reason, we will continue to struggle until we reach the Supreme Court of Canada.

Therefore, we emphasize that we will now begin the real work, and thus we will all need to stand shoulder to shoulder to support each other in this battle against injustice, and we believe this is our duty, and we want all Muslims in Canada to be united in the struggle against this decision.

So please consider volunteering with the National Council of Canadian Muslims or becoming a monthly donor.