The photographs today are encompassing the colorful diversity and creativity found on the streets of Montreal. My faithful readers who know my passions for all things graffiti will be glad to see I obviously scored! Again!

Behind the exuberant colors, however, darker issues are just as present in Canada as they are here in the United States. Loosely stated, they concern the relationship between state and religion, the role of religious freedom and the way in which dealing with religious issues can and has been politicized.

Just last month, for example, Bill 21 was passed in the province of Quebec, banning the display or wearing of religious symbols by public employees. That includes Jewish kippot, Christian crosses, Sikh turbans and above all Muslim women’s burquas and hijab. The bill also reaffirms pre-existing legislation that requires citizens to uncover their faces when accessing public services like municipal transit and the legal system.

Bills like these have been increasingly popular in Europe, but this is the first on North American grounds to be passed.

Bill 21 has been accused of fostering xenophobia and sexism and was opposed by the progressive government parties. It is feared to stoke the already increasing discrimination of religious minorities. Only two years after the Quebec City mosque massacre which saw six men murdered, the statistics of hate crimes have almost doubled, islamophobia being on top of the list.

Bill 21 also invoked the notwithstanding clause from the Charter of Rights and Freedom, allowing the provincial government to override the Charter for a period of five years. That means it can’t be easily dragged into court, although the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the National Council of Canadian Muslims plan a legal challenge.

Turning to our own country, we have of course the Trump administration’s special love affair with religious freedom. I highly recommend reading yesterday’s article by Matt Schwartz on how religious freedom interpretations are utilized not only in the restriction of national issues, including the criminalization of abortion and/or LGTBQ rights, but in pursuit of changes in foreign policy. The goals of this week’s Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom might as well be found in dystopian novels that we used to read for entertainment rather than for their predictive power.

Some of the graffiti I saw tries to address political issues, but for the most part it just made the city beautiful. Which is a good thing in its own right, I guess. We need distraction from the dark worries.

And here are Canadian children singing the Alhamdoulillah!