'Wound is opened up again' after exam features controversial Charlie Hebdo cover: Muslim community leader
A Muslim community leader in Winnipeg says she was shocked and disappointed to see a controversial magazine cover with a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad included as part of a case study in a provincial Manitoba Grade 12 exam last week.
The province's education department has now redacted that section of the French-immersion exam, and made the exam — which was intended as a standardized provincial test — optional for students, after the province's largest school division raised concerns about it.
"This exam is just another piece, another layer, that has been added to the suffering we thought we were all behind," said Shahina Siddiqui, the executive director of the Manitoba-based Islamic Social Services Association.
A case study in the exam included an image from the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, originally printed in 2011. The exam booklet included a photo of a person holding up a copy of the magazine, which featured the caricature of the Muslim prophet on its cover.
Depictions or imagery of the Prophet Muhammad are not allowed in Islam, and the cartoon itself is an Islamophobic image that could create fear and spur hate toward Muslim students, Siddiqui said.
The image's inclusion could give the impression that educators are OK with students experiencing Islamophobia in schools, she said in an interview with CBC.
"The damage has been done.… It's making peers afraid of peers."
This year's exam theme was "La liberté d'expression: un bien ou un mal?" meaning, "Freedom of expression: good or bad?"
Students were asked to write arguments about why they believe freedom of expression is a good thing or a bad thing using case studies included in the 51-page test booklet.
The test also includes information about the January 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo's Paris office that left 12 people dead — a violent event that has been widely condemned by Muslim communities across the world, Siddiqui said.
In a statement to CBC News on Wednesday, the province said the education department has requested schools collect the test, redact the offensive content and return the booklets to schools.
Schools can also give alternative exams in its place, the province said.
"The department takes the concerns raised about this content seriously and is reviewing this matter to ensure that future examination materials are appropriately considered," a provincial spokesperson said.
'You're supposed to respect each other'
Siddiqui said it is important for educators to educate themselves about the impact of Islamophobia.
"I don't believe in suppressing information, but choosing what information is appropriate," she said, suggesting that the exam could have included a different case study that illustrated a similar point.
"In a human relationship, you're supposed to respect each other. If you know that something will hurt me and you know the history, those who put it together know the history of the cartoon, know how much Muslims were hurt … that wound is opened up again," she said.
Siddiqui said her own grandson is in Grade 11, and would likely have felt pain and anger if he had seen that image on a test.
Lillian Klausen, president of the Manitoba Teachers' Society, said the image used in the exam "crosses the line into hate speech."
"I believe it was a good call to remove the insulting Islamophobic caricature. We want all students to do their best work on this important writing assessment. They can't do that if they are insulted or triggered," Klausen said in a written statement.
Last week, Winnipeg School Division superintendent Matt Henderson sent a letter to students' families, apologizing for any harm the test may have caused.
Division staff "noticed immediately that there was content that could be offensive for some of our learners," the letter said.
That material was redacted, and students who might have been offended were given the option to not write the exam, Henderson's letter said.
He said students' grades will not be affected if they choose to opt out. Instead, final grades will be based on class work and assessments.
Siddiqui said her association was not consulted about the exam, but it has consulted schools in the past. She hopes she can work with teachers in the future to educate them about the impact of Islamophobia.
"I hope that this teaches a lesson that's lasting," she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
10 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Mark Carney, and the return of the progressive conservative
As Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a massive and immediate boost to defence spending earlier this month, he talked about the importance of using those new funds prudently. 'Every taxpayer dollar is precious,' he said in passing, later adding that his government would not be looking for new sources of revenue to pay for the defence buildup. 'We just cut taxes, we're not raising taxes.' It's easy enough to imagine a Conservative prime minister uttering similar sentiments – much easier than, say, envisioning former prime minister Justin Trudeau waxing on about the need to pinch pennies in the federal budget and making a no-new-taxes pledge. That Mr. Carney was going to drag the Liberal Party back to the centre after years of an NDP-lite government under Mr. Trudeau was to be expected. Two months after the election, the extent of that metamorphosis is becoming clearer – and it is remarkable. Part of that change is atmospheric. There are no more breathless lectures from Mr. Trudeau; they have been, mercifully, replaced by Mr. Carney's boardroom staccato. Unlike his predecessor, the current Prime Minister boasts of being 'laser-focused' on economic growth. And Canadians, happily, have no idea what kind of socks Mr. Carney likes to wear. But more than mannerisms have changed. Since April, the Prime Minister has cut personal income taxes, boosted defence spending dramatically, pledged to cut the cost of the federal bureaucracy, tightened immigration rules, eliminated federal barriers to internal trade, created a framework for breaking the stasis on big national projects and signaled that he will dismiss underperforming top bureaucrats. That's an agenda that Brian Mulroney could have endorsed. In fact, it overlaps a good deal with the actual governing record of his Progressive Conservatives. Mr. Carney is a Liberal but, in the early going, he looks to be governing much like a Red Tory – a progressive kind of conservative. Mr. Carney's agenda is one that the Liberals, in their Trudeau-era incarnation, would have most likely loudly denounced. Indeed, some left-leaning Liberals in the current caucus, including former cabinet minister and leadership contender Karina Gould, have already voiced their disquiet on legislation to speed up megaproject approvals. House approves Bill C-5 to fast-track projects, Carney pledges summer consultations with Indigenous leaders That could portend problems not that far down the road for the Liberal coalition that gave Mr. Carney his minority government. The Liberals corralled the progressive vote, with support for the NDP and Greens plummeting from the 2021 campaign. Will those voters stick with the Liberals if Mr. Carney continues his rightward sidestep? And will Mr. Carney stick with his agenda if his progressive supporters bolt? Another (large) caveat is how Mr. Carney's agenda adds up in the fall budget. Broad statements on finding efficiencies in the public service are enough for now. Canadians will see in a couple of months whether the blue-tinged Liberals will actually reduce the bloated head count of civil servants. Similarly, it's encouraging that Michael Sabia, two days before he was appointed Clerk of the Privy Council, mused about the 'pancake' of regulations that were stifling economic growth. But what will he and Mr. Carney do to reduce the height of the pancake stack? Biggest of all, the swirl of mist surrounding Mr. Carney's fiscal plans will be necessarily dissipated once that budget is tabled. How will the defence buildup be paid for? Will the deficit fall or rise from the groaningly high levels that Mr. Trudeau bequeathed to his successor? The answers found in the budget will determine if Mr. Carney has truly broken from the fiscal recklessness of the Trudeau Liberals. Longer term, there is the open question of how aggressively the Carney Liberals will push badly overdue structural reforms of the economy. Broad tax reform, lowering of foreign ownership barriers, radically paring business subsidies and reducing the regulatory burden: all of those changes are needed to reinvigorate Canada's economy. At the moment, Mr. Carney doesn't look to be abandoning the dirigiste propensities of the Trudeau Liberals, who were unable to see that millions of minds in the private sector might do a better job than a government department. In less than four months, Mr. Carney has reinvented and reinvigorated the Liberal brand, delivering a progressive feel to conservative governance. Canadians will find out soon enough if that is a mere marketing exercise.
Winnipeg Free Press
44 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
New laws against blocking access to places of worship, schools coming, Fraser says
OTTAWA – Justice Minister Sean Fraser says the Liberal government will press ahead with plans for new criminal provisions against blocking access to places or worship, schools and community centres. The measures, promised during the recent federal election campaign, would also create a criminal offence of wilfully intimidating or threatening people attending events at these venues. The minister's statement comes as civil libertarians point to existing provisions intended to curb such behaviour and push back against the idea of new measures that could infringe on freedom of expression and assembly. Tensions have risen in Canadian communities over public protests, many prompted by the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East. Several Canadian municipalities have taken steps recently to mandate 'bubble zones' that restrict protest activity near such places as religious institutions, schools and child care centres. 'It's not lost on me that there will be different levels of government that try to address this challenge in different ways,' Fraser said, adding that the federal government has an opportunity — where behaviour crosses a criminal threshold — to legislate in that space. 'We clearly have seen challenges when it comes to certain religious communities in Canada who are facing extraordinary discrimination — antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate,' Fraser said in a recent interview. 'People need to know that in Canada they are free to pray to the God of their choice and to, at the same time, freely express themselves, but not to the point where you threaten the protected Charter rights of a religious minority.' James Turk, director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University, said he questions the need for new provisions and suggests politicians are proposing penalties simply to appear to be doing something. He said existing laws against mischief, nuisance and interfering with religious celebrations can be used to deal with the kinds of behaviour the federal government wants to address. 'I haven't heard a single thing that isn't already illegal, so it's a waste of time. It adds confusion to the Criminal Code and it suggests that they're only engaged in performative activity,' Turk said. 'They want to be seen to be doing something about this pressure they're under.' Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, director of the fundamental freedoms program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, also said she wonders about the scope of the proposed new federal provisions 'and if they are necessary or simply duplicative of existing criminal offences.' Bussières McNicoll said it's important to remember that a protest might be disruptive but also protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms' guarantee of peaceful assembly. 'As a parent myself, I know that any protest can be sometimes scary for a child. We're talking about loud voices, huge crowds, emotions are running high,' she said. 'So I believe it's part of my role as a parent to teach my child about what living in a democracy means, why we need protests, why we need space in our society for strong language — including language that we disagree with — and to teach my child about what we can do if we personally disagree with speech that we hear.' Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy at B'nai Brith Canada, said that while the organization welcomes the planned new federal provisions, additional federal measures are needed. B'nai Brith wants national 'vulnerable infrastructure legislation' that would prohibit protests within a certain distance of a place of worship or school, or perhaps during specific time periods, if they interfere with someone's ability to attend the institutions, Robertson said. 'That would remove the need for municipalities and provinces to adopt legislation, and it would send a clear message that across Canada, individuals do not have the right to prevent others from accessing their houses of worship and their community centres and cultural institutions.' — With files from Anja Karadeglia This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025.
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Raymond J. de Souza: Christian and Jewish leaders unite to combat the scourge of antisemitism
An important summit of some 100 faith leaders — roughly 50 Jewish rabbis and 50 Christian pastors — was held in Toronto this week to combat rising antisemitism in Canada. The focus was more theological than strategic or political, with an opening address by the peerless professor Rabbi David Novak, Toronto's gift to all who sincerely desire to speak to God and about God. Novak spoke of Jacques Maritain, the French philosopher who served as France's post-war ambassador to the Holy See. It was that kind of gathering, where wise men shared the wisdom of the ages — a tonic for today's toxic twittering and taunting. Article content Article content The summit was a summons to Christian congregations to stand against antisemitism, not only in solidarity with Jews, but primarily because of their own religious beliefs. Article content Article content Two such beliefs are foundational, one general and one particular. Generally, Jews and Christians believe in universal human dignity, that everyone is created in the image of God. In particular, Jews believe that God chooses, and that they are a chosen people for the sake of all nations. Christians believe that from this comes, in Jesus Christ, a Jew, the universal gift of salvation for all peoples. Article content For both reasons, Christians ought to be concerned about antisemitism, a rising scourge in Canada. Last year, columnist Terry Glavin documented the ' explosion of Jew hate ' that we have seen in our streets of late, with vile speech, vandalism and violence visited upon Jews, their synagogues, schools and shops. Article content 'This is not Paris,' said Rick Eckstein, the driving force behind what is called the ' Simeon Initiative, ' in his introductory remarks. Eckstein is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who is deeply convinced that one righteous person can make a difference. He recounted how his own mother was saved from the Holocaust by three righteous Poles, including a Catholic priest. His very existence is the fruit of those Catholics standing with courage for Jews. Article content The Paris comment struck me. Rising levels of antisemitism, including terrorism, have meant that 'normal' Jewish life in France now proceeds under multiple layers of security — private, police and military. France's Jews have their own organized ' protection service,' which serves to co-ordinate the need for security. To be a Jew in France is to live under perpetual threat. Article content Article content Is Toronto headed in the same direction? Private security is now 'normal' at Jewish community centres, schools and daycare centres. Synagogues spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on security — costs that would sink many Christian parishes. Jewish neighbourhoods are regularly targeted by demonstrations supportive of Hamas and its explicitly genocidal goal of driving Jews into the sea. Article content The Simeon Initiative is named after the biblical figure who greets the infant Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem, thus serving as a bridge between Jews and Christians. It is a joint venture of my colleagues at Cardus, Canada's leading Christian think-tank, and my former colleagues at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Canada's leading Jewish advocacy group. It is a pleasure to see Christian and Jewish colleagues in common cause; would that the cause be a happier one.
