News - Middle East: Six Muslim organizations in Canada have filed a lawsuit in a court in the province of Quebec, calling for a recent provincial order that prohibits all forms of prayer in public schools to be declared “unconstitutional." 

The plaintiffs, which include the Muslim Association of Canada, the Canadian Muslim Forum and four local organizations, filed their case in Quebec Superior Court this week after Education Minister Bernard Drainville issued a directive that formally prohibited any practices of religious activity in schools, vocational training centers or adult education centers. 
The groups are seeking a judicial review of the ban, arguing that the order is discriminatory against Muslims and violates the right to freedom of religion and of association.

"The plaintiffs request that a declaratory judgment concerning the interpretation to be given to the principles of laicity and religious neutrality of the state be rendered so that these principles cannot be used to order prohibitions of prayers or other religious practices in public places," the filing reads.

"Since it is a complete ban on all forms of prayer and since prayer is an essential component of Muslim religious practice, this ban discriminates against one group of individuals to the detriment of other groups," it adds.