Quebec Prayer Restrictions Reshape Rules at Transit Agency, Universities

Quebec's new restrictions on prayer are changing the rules at public workplaces and university campuses, with employees and students facing new limits on where they can pray. New rules under Quebec's secularism law took effect Sept. 1, including a ban on prayer rooms in public institutions such as universities, colleges and transit agencies. The law, adopted by the Quebec legislature in April, also prohibits collective religious practices on public roads and in public parks unless a municipality grants an exception on a case-by-case basis. The measures have drawn opposition from religious and civil-liberties groups, which have raised concerns about freedom of religion and assembly.