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In May 2005, the province of Quebec showed leadership when its legislature voted unanimously to pass a motion against permitting shariah law to be used in the province's legal system.
Moving the historic motion in the Quebec National Assembly, Muslim member Fatima Houda-Pepin said, "The application of shariah in Canada is part of a strategy to isolate the Muslim community, so it will submit to an archaic vision of Islam ... These demands are being pushed by groups in the minority that are using the Charter of Rights to attack the foundation of our democratic institutions." Four months later, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty would ban the use of all religion-based tribunals in the province, thus ending all hopes Islamists had of creating a beachhead for shariah law in North America.
Now, Quebec has taken another bold and courageous step to stall the inroads being made by Islamists in Quebec society: In a bill that could soon become law, Quebec will refuse all government services, including education and non-emergency health care, to Muslim women wearing face masks (known as the niqab or burka). Jean Charest, the Liberal Premier, said the bill is aimed at "drawing a line" to demonstrate that gender equality is a paramount Quebec value.