Quebec’s soccer federation upholds controversial turban ban

The Quebec Soccer Federation's decision to retain its ban on turban-wearing players is once again setting the province's soccer establishment apart from the rest of Canada.

The federation announced Sunday its board of directors had voted to continue the ban, which affects primarily Sikhs, despite a directive from the Canadian Soccer Association to its referees across Canada in April saying they should be allowed, The Canadian Press reports.

CP says referees in Quebec began barring Sikh players wearing turbans, including smaller coverings worn by Sikh boys, last fall.

Baptized Sikh men must wear turbans as a religious requirement.

[ Relate: Sikhs 'saddened' by soccer turban ban ]

The federation said safety concerns are behind the decision to retain the ban, which it said conforms to the policy of FIFA, soccer's world governing body.

However, CBC News noted FIFA's Law four covering headgear and other equipment is not a clear ban on turbans.

The World Sikh Organization (WLO) said in a news release it was "deeply saddened" by the federation's decision, which makes Quebec the only province to enforce such a ban.

The group's president, Prem Singh Vinning noted the issue echoes a similar debate over Muslim girl players wearing hijabs (head scarves).

The federation also cited safety in its decision to ban the Muslim religious head covering but relented last year after FIFA lifted its hijab ban. However, federation spokesman Michel Dugas told the Montreal Gazette it would need a year to fine-tune its policy.

“While girls are permitted to wear headscarves, I fail to see the logic in prohibiting turbans for Sikh boys," Vinning said.

"Sikh children have waited patiently since last year for this issue to resolve so they can rejoin their peers on the pitch. Unfortunately they will have to wait even longer. We will be examining all of our options moving forward in ensuring that Sikh children can play soccer again in Quebec.”

[ Related: 9 year old Quebec girl banned from soccer game for wearing hijab ]

WLO spokesman said FIFA's position on turbans is beside the point because the Quebec federation oversees recreational soccer, not international tournaments.

“We’re talking about kids having fun,” Singh told CP, adding it may take legal action to overturn the ban.

The issue could be being viewed within the longstanding debate in Quebec over reasonable accommodation of religious and cultural differences, which flared with the influx of non-European immigrants.

It's been most noticeable in controversy over whether fundamentalist Muslim women should be required to uncover their faces when testifying in court or working in a public-sector job.

But it's also cropped up over where a Christian crucifix can be displayed (not in the province's National Assembly) and whether the window of a gym should have been frosted over so young Orthodox Jewish men heading to a nearby religious school would not glimpse women in spandex.