Fearing backlash from Quebec's far-right, venues cancel Muslim event celebrating hijab

A Muslim community group in Montreal was forced to move an event twice in two days afterboth venues facedpressure from far-right groups.

For the past two years,the Centre Communautaire Musulman de Montreal (CCMM) has rented an auditorium inan east-end high school, where it hasheld an annual event that celebratesthedecision of girls aged nine to 12 to wear the hijab.

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The Commission Scolaire de Montral a French-language school board known by its acronym CSDM had agreed this year to, once again, rent them the auditoriumatLouis-Joseph-PapineauHigh School. The event was to take place Sunday.

But on Thursday, the Journal de Montral ran a column by Lise Ravaryunder the headline"Abuse of young girls at the CSDM." It was critical of the school board's decision to let the Muslim group use the auditorium.

Ravarydid not call the community centre seeking comment, said Racha, a member of the community centreauthorized to speak on its behalf.CBCMontreal has agreed to withhold her family name as she fears backlash on social media

The column was circulated on openly xenophobic Facebook sites, including one which translates as,"No to Quebecphobiaand racism towardQuebecers."

On Friday, the school board sent an email to the CCMMinforming them the rental contract was being cancelled.

The email, which the CCMM shared with CBC Montreal, says the school board "was informed that protests are highly likely and the security of people could be compromised."

Members of the "Quebecphobia" Facebook group claimed credit for the school board's decision. The school board did not return multiple requests for comment on Sunday.

A second cancellation

In the meantime, the Muslim community centre secured a room for Sunday's event at the Chateau Royal, a reception hall in Laval.

News of the change in location was alsocirculated on Facebook, this time by members of a group called RevolutionPTRK, a breakaway faction of La Meute, the largest far-right group in the province.

They referred to the event as a "pedophile ceremony" and encouraged followers to contactChateau Royal.

A spokesperson for the Muslim community centre saidChateau Royal informed them Saturday night, less than 24 hours before the event, that theytoo were cancelling the rental agreement.

"They told us they were getting negative reviews and attention on Facebook. They were worried about their reputation," saidRacha.

Chateau Royal did not respond Sunday to a request for comment.

A member ofRevolutionPTRKcelebrated the reception hall's decision. "A big thank you to them," the message said.

'Quite frankly, no one cares'

The CCMMdecided, in the end, to hold the event Sunday evening at their offices in the borough ofVilleraySaint-MichelParc-Extension.There was a small police presence outside.

In the cramped space, dozens of community members turned out to watch songs, dances and a play performed by young girls who havedecided to wear the hijab in recent months. Both boys and girls took part in the play.

Yasmina Bahsoul, 13, participated in the ceremony last year and said the decision to wear the veil was her own.

"I don't care about the looks of others," she added.

The event has been held annually for close to a decade, and is one of the high points of the community centre's social calendar,said Racha. The children spend three months practising their routines.

Sherejected the characterizationof the event in the Journal deMontral,which suggested the girls were being forced to wear the hijab for the rest of their lives.

"Quite frankly, no one cares,"Racha said. "It's like when you baptize a child. It's a beautiful ceremony, but you don't say the child will be forced to do something for the rest of their life."

She also took issue with the language used by the Journal de Montral, including the useof the term "abuse" in the headline.

"Look how lightly the term of abuse is being used in this situation," Racha said.

"Oppressionis a serious issue. We're talking about clothing here."