Muslim women visit Quebec town to address contentious code

Last Updated: Sunday, February 11, 2007 | 10:28 PM ET

CBC News

A group of Muslim women visited a rural Quebec town Sunday to try to dispel myths about the Islamic faith after Hérouxville adopted a controversial code of norms aimed at immigrants.

About 14 women from the Canadian Islamic Congress met with approximately 50 residents to tell them about their faith. On Jan. 25, Hérouxville's town council adopted a code of societal norms that would-be immigrant newcomers would have to follow if they choose to settle in the Mauricie town outside of Trois-Rivières.

Among the norms, a man cannot stone a woman to death and faces are not to be covered except at Halloween. Children are not allowed to carry weapons to school, including the traditional Sikh kirpan, which is a ceremonial dagger. 

"We came here to confirm and affirm that we are Quebecers too," said May Haider, one of the Muslim women from the Montreal area.

She said that following the gathering, the delegation of women met with town councillors including André Drouin, who spearheaded the code of norms, for a two-hour meeting in which they helped draft a revised code of norms that wouldn't offend minorities. 

Drouin said the council may modify the code somewhat. The council plans to discuss the norms at the next town meeting and make changes if warranted.

The Canadian Islamic Congress still hasn't decided whether to lodge a formal complaint with Quebec's Human Rights Commission.