Peter Mccabe / The Canadian Press

"We're talking about a tiny fraction within a fraction of the community," said Ihsaan Gardee, executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims. "It seems very clear that what this boils down to is ugly identity politics."

The Quebec government insists that no religious group is being singled out in Bill 62, which the National Assembly passed on Wednesday.

Much of the debate, however, has focused on what Muslim women wear, as did 2013's Quebec Charter of Values and a previous legislative effort in 2010.