to think that JL are perfectly within their rights to sell a hijab as part of 'school uniform' ranges?

[MaybeIAmJustNotReasonable]

John Lewis signed contracts to start a sale of hijabs within their school uniform range, having signed contracts with two schools in London and Liverpool. AIBU to think is actually okay, and we should accept the fact people can dress how they like, in terms with their religion?

In fact the teenage girls I do see tend to wear theirs in the fashionable very high style with the folds and pleats. Idontsee am just curious, what does this look like? Can't picture it.

The thing is John Lewis arnt just a generic school uniform provider like M&S or Tesco. The provide school specific uniforms for various schools (the ones I know of are private but I guess they do some state schools too.

So it seems that some schools have asked them to produce this for them. So they may as well produce more without a logo in areas where they might sell well.

I don't see a problem.

They sell sugar bowls too, despite the fact that I personally have no interest in buying a sugar bowl. I'm going to write a letter of complaint in the strongest terms and green pen.

KeatsiePie some hijab styles

I worked, for many years, in a school where many teenage girls wore hijab. They weren't even slightly oppressed.

I've got no problem with it. Girls should be free to choose to cover their heads or not, however they please.

I suppose the only objection could be if JL supply official school uniform to schools which insist that girls cover their heads - ie don't give them a choice at all, but have it as a blanket rule, whatever the faith or opinions of the girls involved But in that case I'd object to them supplying anything, not just the hijab, and I'd feel the same way about them being the official school supplier of any school which had misogynistic practices, whatever the excuse for those practices.

What about being the official supplier of parents who have misogynistic practices?

AFAIK, JL do stock scissors and needles. Or have they stopped this now?

Well, Alicia, anyone can buy from JL however much of a douchenozzle they are, but there's a difference between that and giving the JL stamp of approval by becoming the official supplier of a corporate entity.

It's wrong. Religious belief is of the person that believes, forcing it on a child is wrong. Plus this is England. a females head does not to be covered.

need to be covered.

HumblePie thanks! Great video, that was really interesting.

My school had a hijab and kameez trousers in school uniform colours almost 30 years ago. This really isn't new. Plus we are just talking about a headscarf here, no face covering.

I assume this is not in the UK? Last time I checked, children in this country were protected from oppression.

Professionally Offended.

owl yawn. I'm sick of being tolerant of this sort of shit being seen as a virtue.

The thing is as much as I have issue with the forcing of women to cover up, some women make that choice. I know young girls who wear a hijab yet other female siblings don't. I know women who are the only women in their family to wear one. So as much as I don't understand it for some women it is a free choice thing. I am not disputing that the attitudes behind the forcing of women to cover up don't need to change, and I think they slowly are. But I don't think banning the hijab, or somewhere like John Lewis refusing to sell it would achieve anything in the sense of actually changing attitudes.

I hate to see girls with their heads covered - it's a symbol of oppression. It should be against school uniform policy and should be enforced with as much zeal as DD's HT enforces the "no sparkly bits on headbands" rule. If Muslims choose not to send their daughters to school because of this, then haul them into court as they would if they took a term time holiday and didn't pay the fine. Religious tolerance is one thing but encouraging the oppression of women has gone on too long in the UK.

I'm against children wearing the hijab. I think once they are teenagers it's their choice. As long as it actually is their choice. The whole point of a hijab is to cover a womans' beautiful hair from men for reasons of modesty. If you make a child wear one then you are almost sexualising them. So depending on the sizes/age group then JLABU.

Do you really think forcing young people who are being so controlled by their parents out of the education system, and ruining any relationships being built between the young person/their families and the authorities is going to do anything to help the situation Martha? Other than make vulnerable young people much more vulnerable?

Why do little girls have to cover their heads? What's wrong with their heads? Why don't boys have to do this?.

OK this is coming from an atheist, let me give a shout to the expert

My understanding is that in Islam both men and women have to dress 'modestly'. The veiling comes from Mohammed's wives being veiled/draped in cloth. There is debate about whether all women should veil because they should aspire to be like a wife of Mohammed or not veil because that is an impossibility.

If you see people on their way to Friday prayers or children going to classes then you will see the boys in baggy clothing and prayer hats.

The clothes men wear in traditional UK culture tend to comply with Islamic ideas of modesty for men, only some omen's clothes do. And hair is something women tend to style and or grow long much more than men.

Some women only wear a veil in the mosque or when praying, some wear it all the time and then there are some, like a student a few years ago who I said to, "you look nice, what have you done different? Is it a new hair do" to which she replied, "No Miss, I' not wearing a veil".

There is also debate about whether the same rules apply to children, children cover their heard in the mosque, a little girl is not a woman but at what point does a girl become a woman? Some people will dress their little girl in a veil, some will expect her to wear one from puberty, some will wonder what has got in to their daughter if she covers her head.

Add to all this, bad hair days and fashion and you have an array of headscarf wearing/not wearing Muslim women and girls.

Can I ask those who hate to see anyone wearing a hijab, do you have the same revulsion to nuns wearing a habit/veil? Granted not all nuns wear them, but they can if they want to.

Just curious

Very reasonable post Sassh