Quebec charter hearing witness relates mosque experience in testimony

Raw video: Testimony of shocking mosque visit

MONTREAL – Genevieve Caron does not believe that the Quebec government is going far enough with its proposed charter of values. She and her husband, Claude Pinault, testified in a personal capacity at the province’s public hearings into the charter on Thursday.

If implemented, the charter would force public-sector employees to remove religious symbols, such as headscarves, kippas, turbans and large crucifixes, if they want to keep their jobs.

The testimony of all individuals and groups in Quebec that submitted a request to appear at the hearings will be heard over the next few months, regardless of their connection to the charter or its implementation.

READ MORE: Day 3 of Quebec’s hearings in charter

Caron’s testimony on Thursday focused on her trip to Morocco and revealed her shock at the customs around visiting a mosque.

“We entered a mosque and we were told to remove our shoes,” she recounted. “What do you mean? Why would we need to do that?”

She described how those coming to pray would kneel on a large carpet inside the mosque.

“I asked, ‘What’s going on here?'” she said. “There were men on the ground on all fours.”

“Voyons! What are they doing? He told me that they were praying . . . H’sti! What’s this all about?”

She detailed how, when they continued the tour of the mosque, they discovered to her surprise that there was a large curtain, behind which were only women, praying on all fours as well.

“I was scarred by this!” she noted. “I got back on the bus and I said to myself, ‘How can this be?'”

Watch below: Charter witness shocked by mosques