Muslim community's hijab event cancelled over security concerns, venue says

ALaval reception hall that abruptly cancelled an event organized by a Muslim community group this past weekendsays its decision was a matter of security, and "had nothing to do with the nature of the event."

Terry Christopoulos, sales director at the Chateau Royal, said he received a call on Saturday asking if the reception hall could accommodate an event at the last minute. He checkedand saw that there was space available, he said.

Christopoulos said he was bombarded with calls and messages later that day, alerting him that backlash tothe event was spreading rapidly among far-right groups on social media.

TheCentreCommunautaireMusulmande Montreal (CCMM) had sought to rent the space to hold an annual eventcelebrating young girls' decisions to wear the hijab.

"This had nothing to do with the nature of the event,"Christopoulos toldCBCNews on Monday, a day after the event was set to be held.

"We didn't have enough time to know more about the event, and take the necessary precaution."

Event celebrated girls' decision to wear hijabs

For the past two years, the CCMM hasrented space at a high school in the city'seast end for the event.

TheCommission Scolairede Montral(CSDM), a French-language school board,had initially agreed to once again rent themthe auditorium at Louis-Joseph-Papineau High School on Sunday.

However, a few days before the event was to be held, Le Journal de Montralnewspaper ran a column condemning the school board for allowing the Muslim community groupto hold the event at one of its schools.

The article, which ran Thursday under the headline "Abuse of young girls at the CSDM," was shared on several xenophobic Facebook pages in Quebec.

• Inside Quebec's far right: full coverage

LiseRavary, the Journal deMontralcolumnist who wrote the piece, told CBCNews on Monday many people in Quebec are against holding religious ceremonies in publicly funded spaces.

"A lot of francophonesfeel that there should be sharp separation of church and state, and that includes holding religious ceremonies in public buildings," she said.

The school board cancelled the rental agreement a day after the article was published,saying on Twitter that it made itsdecision "in light of information we have received, for security reasons, and in order to protect people and prevent an escalation."

Members of a far-right Facebook group in the province celebrated the event's cancellation.

Reached by CBCNews on Monday,CDSM Spokesperson Alain Perron said the school board declined to comment any further.

He said, however, that it bases these types of decisions on "what police tell them."

A spokesperson for Mayor Valrie Plante said the fact that people may feel like they can't gather openly and safelyin Montreal was "worrying."

"Freedom of expression and association is fundamental in a democracy.Of course, people have the right to express their opinions, but they also have the right to gather publicly without fear for their safety,"Genevive Jutrassaid in a briefemail to CBC News.

Backlash was 'eye-opening'

Christopoulossaid the Chateau Royalnever signed a written agreement with the Muslim community centre, buthada verbal agreement that it would try to work something out atthe last minute.

Christopoulossaid the way things spiralled out of control on social media "was eye-opening."

"We do a ton of events with the Muslim community, but things unfolded so quickly on social media," he said.

"It's sad when members of the Muslim community are unable to hold their cultural events,"because of an acrimonious atmosphere,Elmenyawisaid.

Elmenyawi added that the incident was "very disturbing" in light of the deadly attack at a Quebec City mosque last year.

"Instead of helping, instead of moving forward, we see that people, they just don't learn," Elmenyawitold CBC News.

Event went aheadSunday, under police protection

For its part, theCCMMended up holding the event at its offices in Montreal'sVilleraySaint-MichelParc-Extensionborough Sunday evening. Police maintained a small presence outside.

A member of the CCMMcould not immediately be reached on Monday to comment on the reception halland school board's justifications for cancelling the event.

Racha, a member of the group who was authorized to speak on its behalf, told CBC News on Sunday that the event has been held successfully for almost a decade.Her family name is being withheld over fears of social media backlash.

She rejected the idea, put forward in the Journal de Montral, that the girls involved in the ceremony are forced to wear hijabs 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."