To think a school can't legally suddenly ban the headscarf for muslin girls!

[Headscarfs123]

So our local catholic school has banned the headscarf this week...disastrous for some of the girls but also against church advice that headscarfs are fine, against DFES advice about consultation and sensitivity to religious groups, against best practice as this type of change should involve the governing body? discriminatory on religious and sexist grounds...Sikh boys can keep their turbans.

Aibu to think that the school is legally in the wrong?

I can see a justification for banning Muslim headress in a catholic school.

Riven- what makes you think I am not religious?

Also, you think you want to wear your headscarf. I think you might be indictorined. So who knows eh? We all live as part of society and we are all influenced by societies expectations and norms. Just depends who shouts the loudest in your society I guess.

But it's a catholic school we're all (including Muslims) paying for that forms a part of the LEA system and may well be their catchment school.

Fanjo

I think to throw the religious word at this - as if THAT is justification in itself is meaningless and illogical.

You have to be prepared to explain your reasons more fully than that?

your "reasons" are daft, Animation

think the "thought" processes around these sort of bans run- subconsciously-like this:

'I fear it
I don't understand it
so I don't like it

...now, what reasonable-sounding excuse can I find to get rid of it?'

SpringHeeledJack

How are my reasons daft?

Seriously - I would like to know?

Who tf would be scared of a freaking scarf? The tie comparsion is ridiculous in it's simplicity and almost totally unrelated.

It's always the ones who don't actually know any Muslims or anything about Islam that are the most vocal on these threads. The gleeful venting of such EDL views is rather sinister, particularly the whole "their country" and "our country" stuff. The ism you're looking for there isn't feminism, it's racism.

I wear hijab. It is my choice to wear it. I wear it in work, which is a very hot environment. It causes me no problems and keeps my hair off my face and neck. No one has ever questioned my ability to do my job because I wear hijab.

Ties have been used to choke pupils in fights and there a sad number of cases of students using them to hang themselves. Just like anything else, it can become negative if you choose to look at it that way just as you are looking at scarves.

And, being a non-Muslim who has worn a head covering for years, I've never had any of those issues (obviously I don't consider concealing to be an issue). The material is too thin to disrupt hearing or movement, it actually helps me stay cool in warm weather by keeping my hair up longer than it does in other ways, many headcoverings come ways to prevent unraveling in active situations, it has never hampered my glasses and since the point is to cover the hair, I don't see how concealing can be seen as negative barring the cases of iPod hiding (which could be done with a turban which is apparently being allowed).

*Fanjo

I think to throw the religious word at this - as if THAT is justification in itself is meaningless and illogical.

You have to be prepared to explain your reasons more fully than that?*

You've said it again, that religion is meaningless and illogical, because if a person chooses to wear a head scarf for religious reasons it's apparently illogical and meaningless. What gives you the right to say religion is meaningless?!

That's why I asked you if you had any muslim colleagues and friends who can explain to you much more fully and in a better way than I (as I am not a muslim) why they wear headscarves for religious/cultural reasons.

I wear glasses btw and I can wear a headscarf quite easily!

Serenity the tie comparison works perfectly as animation wanted a practical reason for wearing an item of clothing to school. Their reasoning was as there is no practical reason to wear a headscarf why should they be allowed. There is no practical reason to wear a tie, why is one worn?

Having said that I don't think catholic churches should be allowed to make up their own laws I also have to say that people who talk about it just being a headscarf are being naive or disingenuous.

It's a symbol and you'd probably be furious if some kids or teachers turned up wearing a BNP symbol or the Aryan cross

Because of catchment areas and such there is no way to accommodate faith schools without discriminating against other faiths. You have two choices.

1) "I want a faith school so badly that I'm happy to discriminate against other faiths"

2) "I will keep the schools faith free so that all children are welcome and teach my faith in church"

yeah, like someone said upthread, Riven- it's the naughty ones that wear the scarves

[would like to see someone try and indoctrine Riven]

As for the ipod stuff - i used to hide my walkman (ha!) in my blazer pocket and run the headphones up one sleeve and lean on my hand to listen.

'Conceals and flattens hair....'

"OMG. The worse thing ever."

Riven -

I think hair gives kids their individuality - why hide it all away?

Do you agree with my other reasons?

oh fuck

if kids need individuality, let's get rid of uniforms altogether, then.

Then kids can wear whatever they like

including headscarves

No it doesn't, most schools have very strict rules on what can be done with hair. There have been many cases over the years about children wearing their hair in a way deemed inappropriate and being sent home for it.

And my headcoverings come in much more individualized way than my hair (like stripes, spots, flower patterns, sparkly even).

Not read the whole thread but did this affect any pupils already at the school?

You can also gets sports niqabs that don't need to be tied and can be used for more extreme exercise (not that I remember doing much extreme exercise at school!)

"You've said it again, that religion is meaningless and illogical, because if a person chooses to wear a head scarf for religious reasons it's apparently illogical and meaningless. What gives you the right to say religion is meaningless?!"

No I haven't said religion itself is meaningless and illogical. But to say a child wears a scalf for religious reasons??

What does that mean?

Religious reasons?

What reasons are they?

Can you say more?

That is what I am asking.'Religious reasons' sounds very vague and meaningless without some explanation behind what you say?

"It's always the ones who don't actually know any Muslims or anything about Islam that are the most vocal on these threads. The gleeful venting of such EDL views is rather sinister, particularly the whole "their country" and "our country" stuff. The ism you're looking for there isn't feminism, it's racism."

Yet when I lived in a Muslim country we were 100% expected to respect Muslim culture, often at the expense of our own values and beleifs.Punsihments were severe for not folllowing the expectations.

So the Muslims must have been racist towards us Westerners in that case then you will agree?