The Philosophy of Law - Muslims vs Landlord

Here in Canada, we recently had a case before the Human Rights Tribunal where a Muslim couple had filed a complaint against their landlord. They we’re moving out of the apartment and asked the landlord for a couple religious based concessions such as giving notice he was showing the property so the wife could cover herself while people saw the place and they asked that the landlord and prospective tenants remove their shoes, especially in the bedroom where they pray.

The landlord did not comply.

The tribunal awarded the tenants $6,000 each levying a total fine of $12,000 againt the landlord. (Link to story at end.)

In philosophy of law, we discuss whether judgements are reasonable as well as the laws they are based on. In this case, a landlord has the legal duty to accommodate religion within reason.

Do you think a landlord should be forced to accommodate religious practises on his own property if he doesn’t wish to?

Case: https://nowtoronto.com/news/landlord-ordered-to-pay-muslim-couple-12-000-in-race-case/

I don’t think a little notice ahead of time and asking people to take off their shoes before coming in your house really even need to be seen as a religious thing… what they were requesting was a couple pretty basic courtesies…

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What Alien sed

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The defense was they were pushing their religion on him.

Doesn’t sound like it held up very well…

Oi!!!

I brought this up with you. Hijacker!!!

And it brings up an interesting philosophical point as well as the social one that I’d love for you to share.

No.

You stole this from me.

Thief.

Okay I’ll do it…

Lou here thinks that Muslims are forcing Sharia law on us by forcing us to accommodate them. He thinks they don’t fit in our societies and should all be deported. He thinks the landlord is the kind of immigrant we want and the tenants need to go back to Muslim land.

Real estate law is pretty well settled here on matters like this. In brokerage, the seller has an absolute right to require the removal of shoes by agents and buyers in viewing the property and often will soften the requirement by providing disposable shoe booties.

Tenant rights are modeled after realty law when possible. In this case, the landlord has a clause in the lease allowing him to show the occupied property to a prospective tenant. The notice period and the window of the tenancy where this is to be permitted SHOuLD both be specified in the lease. And it should not matter whether the shoe requirement is religious or not, since many secular tenants will also require it.

Not sure the amount of the award is reasonable, might be excessive in some views…

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^what Peach sayeth.

What about the issue of forcing a landlord to observe religious ritual when showing his own property?

Its not like they were forcing the landlord to handle serpents or goat entrails.

It cannot be shown to be a religious ritual, Starling. Half of the world’s population take their shoes off when they enter a domicile.

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Great day “hiking” today… right after work.

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But the complaint to the tribunal was on religious grounds - failure to observe/respect religious practice.

When you sue you put your “game face” on. Better Constitutional reinforcement in Religion.

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Don’t you go putting words in my mouth.

I’ll be my own advocate, TYVM.

Seems totally reasonable. If the landlord wanted to show my place without notice his buyers would be seeing DEEZ NUTS and my pale white ass as well. It is just common courtesy really…

If he doesn’t want to deal with these reasonable accommodations he can wait for the Muslim couple to move out and eat the rent for a few months while he finds a new tenant…

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