«We inform new arrivals that the way of life they were accustomed to before leaving their countries cannot be reproduced here,» the city authorities' declaration unequivocally states. Apparently, it is addressed mainly to people from countries where sharia has triumphed, who are briefly explained the principles of gender equality with illustrative examples. Migrants are told that in their new country of residence, women are allowed to drive cars, vote, dance, sign checks, dress as they wish, work, and own property. According to another provision of the Herouxville declaration, girls and boys can train together, and people are allowed to cover their faces only during Halloween. It also says that children should not bring weapons to school, although earlier the Supreme Court of Canada upheld the right of Sikh boys to wear ceremonial daggers.
It is unknown whether the new residents of Herouxville understood the essence of the demands, but representatives of Muslim communities in Canada, upon learning of such a declaration, naturally considered all followers of the Prophet Muhammad to be insulted. Salam Elmenyawi, head of the Muslim Council of Montreal, said the declaration «set back the clock decades» in easing racial tensions. «I was shocked and offended when I saw this list of false stereotypes about Islam, these examples of absolute ignorance... and in a public document written by government officials who openly declare discrimination,» he told a Reuters correspondent.
The population of Herouxville, located 160 kilometers northeast of Montreal, is only 1,300 people. However, as representatives of the city council stated, the need to review the immigration policy of the authorities has long been overdue. After all, the number of immigrants in Canada is growing every year, and this causes hidden indignation among native Canadians. For example, in the province of Quebec, ten percent of the 7.5 million population are newcomers. The author of the declaration, Andre Drouin, told a correspondent of the local newspaper National Post that their city is by no means racist. «We invite representatives of all nations, all languages, all sexual orientations. Let them come and live next to us, but we want them to know about our rules in advance,» he explained.
The Herouxville declaration can be considered one of the responses to the policy of «reasonable accommodation,» which emerged from public discussions about to what extent Quebecers should change their traditions and mores so as not to offend newcomers. Supporters of the declaration cite facts of concessions made by French-speaking Canadians to people from Asia and representatives of non-Christian faiths. For example, last year, owners of a Montreal fitness center had to install frosted windows after parishioners of a neighboring synagogue complained that the sight of people exercising in the windows opposite offended the religious feelings of the faithful. And the administration of another public building banned men from attending childbirth preparation classes held there out of respect for the Hindu and Sikh traditions of some female visitors.