to not send my girls on this school trip because of my beliefs

[JustGiveMeTwoMinutes]

The trip is to a mosque and the girls (year 3 and 4) have to cover their heads with a scarf, the boys don't have to.

Just to be clear about where I am coming from, this is about a specific practice which I believe is discriminatory and therefore disagree with. I would not choose myself to enter a building that I could only enter if I wore particular clothes but where that requirement was limited to one gender or one group defined by arbitrary characteristics. I would be happy to cover my head as a sign of respect/tradition if everyone entering the building was required to do so.

They can make their own decision on this when they are adults.

Am I being ridiculous and petty or is it reasonable to stand up for my view that just because a custom is part of a religion that does not excuse it being discriminatory?

My account keeps going wrong. Can't log in

Giles

I made this point on another forum. A poster was explaining why she chose to cover up with Niqab - which was to be as close as possibles to Mohammed and his followers, so to emmualte their dress etc. I asked if Mohammed had been born now in London or such, would he dress in flowing dessert robes or wear jeans and shirt? I don't understand why people want to cling to the antiquated dress of a religion at all costs.

I just think it comes down to protecting the women and girls against those men who refuse to control themselves and treat women decently. And after spending some time in majority Islamic countries, I can see why women might want or need to be protected to some degree.

For a girl to cover her hair in this free society is wrong.
To walk into a place that is actually on free ground and have to cover up is also wrong.

I wouldn't do it either.

I would tell the school that she wasnt going due to believing just that.

bourbon stop PMing please. I am not reading them now so you are wasting your breath.

Reported. How fucking tedious you are.

YABU. I'm a pagan. My DD has no religion. If she wanted to go on the school trip I'd tell her to cover her hair. I'd cover my hair if I visited a mosque.

I'm actually feeling stronger about it the more this thread goes on. I wouldn't want to be encouraging this perceived sexualisation of little girls by making them covering up younger and younger when it isn't and was never necessary to the religion.

Little Muslim girls at m kids school never wore hijab before, now in the past few years a few are appearing. They are about 6 years old.

Its sexist and its wrong and I do not know why the law allows it here, I mentioned on another thread I had some issues with my neighbours and in the end had to call the police.

The policeman said to me, they have probably come from a culture thats sexist, who don't like to be told what to do by a woman.

But, he said, they are not in their country now, they are in the UK and they have to abide by our rules and laws.

These men were from another EU country BTW and nothing at all to do with Islam.

Maybe in ye olden days that was the age girls would be betrothed/promised/married ofd, as was the custom here.

But its not the olden days is it?

Its been linked earlier that some girls in some areas are being betrothed to marriage from a very young age.

some cultures still date that to puberty.

I'm afraid the sad disgusting truth is that in many countries in the world girls as young as 9 are not regarded by adult men as 'off bounds' sexually providing they have started menstruating. Therefore by THEIR logic it makes sense to 'protect' these young girls by covering them up.

I have rung the mosque this morning and they have confirmed that primary school girls do not need to wear scarves. However, they can bring and wear them if they want so that they can experience this muslim tradition.

I am going to go and see the head teacher tonight to discuss the whole situation and the school's approach to it.

I also spoke to the girls over the weekend as many posters suggested and explained my point of view. Given that I originally said yes to the school trip, filled in the form and paid the money and that it was only several days later that we got the text about the scarves, plus this new information about the mosques position on it, I will be letting the girls go. I feel it is important to learn about other religions, whether we agree with their practices or not they are a part of human life.

I am glad I started the thread and I am very grateful for everyone's opinions. It is wonderful that we have this forum. I feel I have also learnt a lot over the past few days.

Good because that is consistent too with what I thought was the views of most muslims - little girls don't need head covering. They aren't yet sexual objects etc.

I hope the school will understand there is no need for head covering and let girls choose it if they wish and indeed boys. I enjoyed covering my head on business in Iran just to see what it's like. It's disgustingly awful, hot, ruins your line of site, makes you in a totally different position from men and is horrendous. I had expected it to feel freeing as it doesn't matter how your hair looks but quite the contrary. I am still glad I gave it a go.

Well done Just. I'm sure the school are just being over zealous. The mosque gave the wearing of scarves as a suggestion and the school have run with it. I'm sure the teachers just wanted to avoid embarrassment of not being allowed in. Trust me they were not looking at this from an idealogical viewpoint.

Glad to hear that. It's misunderstandings like this that can fuel more bias against muslims. I think giving the girls a choice of westing a scarf to experience how older muslim girls dress just to try it out is fair enough.

That's good news then. Hope they enjoy it.

I'm really glad you rang the mosque and got clarification. I think the school might have been a bit overzealous or got their wires crossed.

I hope your DD find it interesting.

My mother stopped me from going to a similar trip. It didn't do me any harm or hold my education back. YANBU.

I have been to a synagogue. Has it harmed the education of all those people who have never visited one?

So many people said they'd be amazed if this requirement was true, and it turns out it wasn't.

It must be hard being Muslim at the moment.