A Canadian minister has said that it would be an honour if Malala Yousafzai wanted to teach in Quebec but to do so, she would have to remove her headscarf.

According to the Montreal Gazette, Quebec Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge said in a Tweet that like in other “open and tolerant countries, teachers can’t wear religious symbols while they exercise their functions”. He noted that this was the case in France, where the two were photographed together during meetings to discuss education for the upcoming G7 in August.

Malala never ever hinted that she wanted to teach in Quebec, let alone Canada. Roberge’s Tweet was instead a response to a question by a reporter. The reporter asked the minister how he would respond if Malala wanted to become a teacher in Quebec. It came after Roberge posted a photo of Malala and himself.

The minister came under fire on Twitter for his reply. Many commented that since Malala stood up to the Taliban, she was unlikely to take dictation from Roberge either.

Follow SAMAA English on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.