Christian Legal Fellowship and Quebec's Bill 21

Post by: Jillian Schinzing

My name is Jillian Schinzing and I am a 2L Law Student at Regent University. I was born and raised in Wisconsin and graduated with my undergraduate degree from Bethel University in Minnesota. Before coming to law school last fall, I spent a year doing missions work on a trip called the World Race. Throughout my time spent in Africa, Asia, and Central America, the Lord opened my eyes and showed me His heart for justice. It was after working with abandoned children, victims of human trafficking, and persecuted believers that I felt a call from the Lord to attend law school. I am passionate about International Human Rights and sharing the love of Jesus with the hurting world. I want to be a voice for the voiceless, just as Micah 6:8 says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” I want to use my legal education to do justice, love mercy, and walk with God.

This semester, as a student staff member for the Center for Global Justice, I have been working on a project for Christian Legal Fellowship (CLF) in Canada. I have been researching how international courts and legal bodies, including the United Nations Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights, have approached laws which restrict the wearing of religious clothing and symbols. CLF is working on responding to Quebec’s Bill 21, which was just passed this summer, banning all government employees from wearing religious clothing or symbols in the workplace. This religious clothing ban includes all forms of clothing and jewelry. Things like cross necklaces, Jewish kippah’s, and Muslim hijabs, will all be banned in the workplace of government officials. The goal of this Bill 21 was to make all government employees neutral in their position as representatives of the state. However, this Bill instead of promoting freedom of religion, strips government employees of their right to manifest their own religion. Christian Legal Fellowship is trying to fight against Quebec’s Bill 21 because freedom of religion and the manifestation of that religion should be one of the most protected rights in society.

The work my partner and I are doing on this project this fall is a small piece in helping fight for greater religious freedom in Canada. I feel passionate about religious freedom, I am thankful and blessed to be attending a school that wants to fight for the oppressed. Throughout my research I have learned a lot about how International bodies handle religious oppression and am so grateful to be working on a project for CLF that can help advocate against those being oppressed by Quebec’s Bill 21.

Isaiah 1:17, “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; pleas the case of the widow.”

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice student staff member.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.