By: David Koschitzky, Chair

Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs

 

Last week the Quebec Soccer Federation (QSF) upheld a decision to require Sikh players who want to play in league-sanctioned games to remove their religious headgear.

What’s at issue is that, without legitimate reason, QSF has decided to restrict access by some children to the clear benefits of organized sport – benefits like the opportunity for youth from all backgrounds to unite around a shared experience and the inclusivity in sport that can bridge communities and strengthen society. These are in addition to the evident long-term health benefits of sport for children of all ages.

The Sikh community has opposed this ruling, which has also been criticized by several federal MPs. Media in Quebec and elsewhere have also weighed in against the decision.

The QSF states that its position is based on safety concerns and the regulations of FIFA, the international organization that oversees soccer regulations. Interestingly, FIFA does not explicitly ban such headgear and, without making any change to the written regulations, has recently permitted female players to wear headscarves. No injuries have been reported in connection with players wearing turbans, patkas or keskis.

Safety is important, but it doesn’t appear to be a reason for concern here, so the Centre's Quebec Chair Eric Maldoff immediately wrote to the QSF requesting it rescind its decision and allow Sikh youth the opportunity to play without infringement of their religious freedom. I also wrote to FIFA expressing our support for their past efforts to accommodate religious head coverings during game-play and asking them to issue an interim statement upholding the acceptability of religious headgear on the soccer pitch. Given that the QSF has cited FIFA regulations in its decision, we believe it is appropriate for FIFA to respond. Although, there has been no official response to our letter yet, a grassroots email campaign, as reported in a Sikh news site, did engender what seems to be a positive response from FIFA. We have also received a number of emails from members of the Canadian Sikh community expressing their gratitude for the Centre's public stance on this issue.

Implications go far beyond the soccer pitch. As proud Canadians and proud Jews, our community has historically spoken out on issues affecting freedom of religion, which not only affect us but also strike at the core of Jewish values and our historic experiences throughout Diaspora.

Here in Canada, we would feel slighted and excluded if we were told that our kippot must be removed in order to participate in team sports. It’s not difficult to understand how others must feel.

In two short years we’ll mark the 30th anniversary of a landmark Human Rights case – Bhinder v. CN National – regarding the right of a Sikh employee to wear his turban in the workplace. Through one of our predecessor organizations, Canadian Jewish Congress, our community intervened in that case. The decision went against Bhinder, and the battle might have seemed lost. However, since then, the understanding that accommodation was a means to inclusion and not a granting of special privilege very soon became an important part of what Canadians understood diversity to mean.

The voice of the Jewish community was heard loudly throughout that debate, which is one which we take pride in continuing, and rules and regulations in the workplace have come a long way since then. Let’s hope the same will be true on Quebec soccer pitches.

 

For more information please visit http://www.cija.ca/