Chapeaux Off to the Parti Quebecois

English: Women's accessories for sale! ++Cafiyas and other scarves, in JLM's old city within Damascus Gate. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Separatist Parti Quebecois, which is leading in the polls right now as Quebec heads into a provincial election,

wants to ban any kind of religious clothing or jewelry in  government institutions.

That means

no hijabs, (head scarf); niqabs, (head scarf and veil); or burkas, (full body covering); 

in court rooms or government offices.

Although I do not believe the government has the right to legislate what a woman can or cannot wear in her daily life, I understand the importance of the separation of church and state.

There is no place for Sharia Law in Canada.

I like this idea and hope that it becomes the law of the land,

not just of one province.

Related articles

• Separation of Church and State
• Quebec election: Crucifix stays, but hijabs go under Parti Quebecois government, party leader says
• Jonathan Kay: The 'ethnic vote' still has no home in PQ ranks

The Stoning of Ashtiani

When I was a small girl I was quite sure that if I ever found myself living in ancient, biblical times and was in danger of being stoned, I would save myself by running away.

No one ever explained the finer points of stoning to me - likely because no one knew.

You see, there is no running away. The sinner is first trapped by being buried up to the neck in dirt. The executioners then throw rocks at the condemned person's head until her brains are splattered across the ground.

The reason I know these details is because during this past week I read three articles about an Iranian woman named Ashtiani who is going to be executed by stoning sometime in the near future for the 'crime' of adultery. Ashtiani has already been lashed ninety-nine times. Ashtiani has a seventeen year old son.

There is no proof of her 'crime'.

What can you and I do about it? We can tell her story.

Theo Caldwell@sunmedia.ca, St. Catharines Standard, Thurs. July 8, 2010 said he would like to see her face on more t-shirts than Che Guevara. He said if a 'fraction of the energy evinced by those who showed up at the G20 in Toronto to protest the evils of globalization...were instead directed toward... not hitting women with rocks until they die, we'd be getting somewhere."

A good man protects women and children. These are not good men.

I have always supported the fact that our troops are in Afghanistan. Under the Taliban women and girls have no rights to education or health care and are vulnerable to the same insane justice system that Ashtiani faces.

We can't turn away now.

Note: I have just read that 14 hours ago Iran reported from its London embassy that Ashtiani will not be stoned to death. She may be hanged instead. This was not reported inside of Iran where 15 other people await death by stoning.