| Author | Topic |
aboosait
INDIA
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 Topic initiated on Tuesday, April 7, 2009 - 1:57 PM 
School bans Muslim mother from parents' evening fo
ref: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1167037/School-bans-Muslim-mother-parents-evening-wearing-veil.html
School bans Muslim mother from parents' evening for wearing veil
A mother was barred from a parents' evening at her son's school as she was wearing a veil.
The 34-year-old was turned away on security and safety grounds after arriving in clothes which covered every part of her body except her eyes.
The incident in Blackburn follows a furore over comments by the area's MP Jack Straw about women who cover their faces.
Mr Straw, now Justice Secretary, said in 2006 that veils could make community relations harder as they were a 'visible statement of separation and difference'.
In the latest controversy last week, the mother of one was furious after being told that visitors' faces should be visible at all times.
She insisted that her religion should not affect her access to Our Lady and St John Catholic Art College, a mixed school for 11 to 16-year-olds where she was also a pupil. The woman, who lives in
Blackburn, said: 'I don't like going to the school anymore because I leave crying.
'I can understand that people should be identified but I am just a normal person, trying to lead a normal life. Why should how I dress make a difference?'
Police were called to the school when she refused to remove her niqab or leave the premises.
Her wearing of the veil prompted a change of school policy after another parents' evening in 2007.
'I got told not to go into the hall because I was wearing a veil,' said the mother.
'I explained I was willing to take the veil off in front of female teachers but not the male teachers.'
School rules requiring hoodies and crash helmets be removed to gain entry were amended to include full-face veils after this.
The woman added: 'This week at parents' evening, I signed in and saw two teachers in the library as I was not allowed in the main hall.
'Then I was asked by a member of staff whether I was aware of the school's policy on identification. My son enjoys going to the school and has settled in. I am in a strange situation where I can't see how he is progressing or even go to drop him off inside.
'If I had been told this was their intended policy, then maybe I would not have considered sending my son to the school.'
Anjum Anwar, head of Woman's Voice, an advice group for Asian woman in Lancashire, has been working with the mother and school to try to find a solution.
She said: 'We had hoped that the situation would have been resolved.
'We are saddened to hear this young lady is still not given access to participate in her child's education because of her faith.'
Headteacher Colette Gillen said it was important for parents to discuss their children's progress with staff.
She has offered to set up one-to-one meetings between the mother and teachers in her office.
'While this would be acceptable, the difficulty would be if a number of ladies wearing veils were free to wander the corridors or rooms,' said Mrs Gillen.
'It would not be feasible to monitor who is who.'
Mrs Gillen pointed to the Ofsted report rating the school as 'outstanding' for its community cohesion, care and guidance.
Many Muslim women in the UK wear a hijab or head scarf with only a minority wearing the full-length niqab veil.
Mr Straw yesterday refused to comment |
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StudyingIslamUK
UNITED KINGDOM
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Posted - Wednesday, April 8, 2009 - 5:30 PM 
If a lady wishes to wear a veil/niqab, it's her choice and must be respected perhaps just like sikhs are allowed to tie their turbans, people from some other communities wish to wear certain type of dress and so on. Apparently more pressure is on Muslims presently everywhere due to the media hype.
However we must not represent Veil or Niqab as a compulsion in Islam, because it is not. It's high time Muslims learnt what is and what is not coming from Islamic teachings and what is coming from cultures. Already much chaos is happening across the globe due to the ignorance about these issues, not only among non-Muslims,but more so among the Muslims themselves.
Check out the brief talk on this issue by the Dean of this site:you can also access via home page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO4wnb-ZkH4 |
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raushan
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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Posted - Thursday, April 9, 2009 - 8:57 AM
It is curious how the most intelligent, balanced and learned among us succumb to stereotypes when faced with another’s faith. Perhaps this story of a lecture I gave at the Warsaw University might be instructive. It was around the time when the French government had stirred a huge controversy by banning the headscarf in state schools on the grounds that France was a secular nation and no symbol of religious identity could be permitted in a state school. The ban, incidentally, did not extend to wearing “small” crosses on a chain on the rather specious excuse that they were symbols of tradition rather than faith.
There are no mosques in Warsaw for the good reason that there are hardly any indigenous Muslims in Poland. There was surprise, therefore, when I mentioned that I had seen a woman wearing a hijab on my way to the University. Who? I had seen a Catholic nun, I explained. No one had ever viewed the nun’s dress as a form of hijab and abaya. The amazement widened to disbelief when I pointed out that the Virgin Mary, Jesus’ mother, would never have got admission in France’s state schools. There is no image, statue or painting, in which she does not have her head covered.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=82730 |
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hkhan
UNITED KINGDOM
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Posted - Thursday, April 23, 2009 - 12:01 AM
thx R; thats very knowledgable
however as per my experience, each time you mention maryam(pbuh) dress, the reply you get is"well those were old fashions of the times.we can't say wat would she wear if she came today..."
we believe, watever she wears if she comes today, will be enough to cover her modestly. |
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raushan
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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Posted - Thursday, April 23, 2009 - 9:00 AM
quote:
., each time you mention maryam(pbuh) dress, the reply you get is"well those were old fashions of the times.we can't say wat would she wear if she came today..."
.
Exactly,but how come they so sure that she won't wore the same "old fashioned''costume if she came today.
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell
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hkhan
UNITED KINGDOM
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Posted - Thursday, April 23, 2009 - 7:35 PM
hmm...gud 1 !
but don't think we can judge anyone as fool or fanatic on this criterion  |
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drhennataimoor
UNITED KINGDOM
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Posted - Friday, April 24, 2009 - 11:18 PM
I can just feel what the poor mother might be going through , at the discrimination she has to face . Its her right to choose if she decides to cover up more , and yes media hype has given muslims such a bad image .
If my views carry any wieght for the people involved in the situation , may be they could put up a female security guard to check her out when she comes to school.
but seriously all I can think of right now , is to pray for the lady . May Allah be her helper in finding out the best solution in this situation.
her son is not going to stay in this school forever.
and media negativity on Islam will one day definitely turn to positivity inshallah , all in good times ,
that is my prayer and faith.
All in good times. |
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raushan
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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Posted - Saturday, April 25, 2009 - 7:31 AM
quote:
..
and media negativity on Islam will one day definitely turn to positivity inshallah , .
Ameen.
The process has already begun ,you must have noticed the recent trends. |
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raushan
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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Posted - Saturday, April 25, 2009 - 7:40 AM
quote:
hmm...gud 1 !
but don't think we can judge anyone as fool or fanatic on this criterion
I felt russel's quote relevant to post.
Otherwise if I judge others as fool or fanatic on the basis of their just one single comment ,then who will be the biggest fool/fanatic other than me on this earth.
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hkhan
UNITED KINGDOM
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Posted - Sunday, April 26, 2009 - 6:49 AM
it can become v.difficult sometimes~as just got the following in email; may Allah help us to balance out things with wisdom & patience and may the tests around us remain easier for us amen.
A Brief Encounter
18 Apr, 2009 Yvonne Ridley
I've often said Islamaphobia is last refuge of the racist and it can
manifest itself in many forms.
Sometimes it is right in your face, erupting in to physical violence or
verbal abuse while other times the attack can be almost subliminal, thinly
veiled, cloaked in ambiguity.
The net result is the same in as much as the victim of Islamaphobia often
suffers in the same way as a victim of racism - it is painful, humiliating
and deeply hurtful.
The usual image conjured in the mind of such a purveyor of this sort of hate
is the stereotype of a thick set thug wearing an England t-shirt with his
sovereign covered knuckles trailing the pavement.
I've had several encounters of this kind, happily none of the threatened
violence has followed through . although I must admit the occasional death
threats are a bit unsettling.
I hate to play the role of the victim so most times I try to walk on by and
ignore some of the more demonic rants or outbursts from bigots who are
infuriated by the sight of a European-looking woman wearing a hijab ..
And I have to say most times I manage to rise above their crass stupidity,
often resisting the attempt to correct their appalling lack of English
grammar.
Even one time I afforded myself a wee smile as a legless tramp (not
disabled, merely so drunk he couldn't stand) snarled from the kerbside: "Why
don't you go back home?"
I was with an Arab friend on my way to the House of Commons from St James's.
I swung ar ound and replied in an exaggerated Geordie accent: "I'm off to
Newcastle tomorrow, Pet - but just for the weekend." His face was a picture.
But, at the end of the day, it is unsettling and frightening, and upsetting
for women to be targeted for their style and choice of dress.
It is something that is often raised wh en I meet other Muslim women in the
UK who are trying to rise to the challenge of following their faith while
attempting to blend in with the rest of society.
Unless we remove our hijabs, nikabs, headscarves we Muslim women can not s
imply blend in and why should we? I have as much right to cover as any woman
has to wear an outfit regarded as revealing.
The cruel jibes, lack of tolerance and understanding has driven som e
Muslim women to remove their hijabs placing them in direct conflict with
their religious obligations.
Having experienced such venom and hostility firsthand, I find it very
difficult to criticise those women who are too afraid to wear their hijab
because of the bullies.
My hijab is part of my business suit, it tells the world I'm a Muslim woman,
someone to be taken seriously and I expect to be trea ted with the same
respect as anyone else.
In exactly the same way that a Sikh chooses to wear a turban or an orthodox
Jewish woman also chooses to cover her head.
Since I began wearing the hijab after em bracing Islam I 've had many
challenges. Some of them pleasant, others deeply unpleasant.
Just the other day a very close barrister friend of mine invited me to a
swish cocktail party over-looking the River Thames to celebrate her well
earned elevated status to Queen's Counsel.
I don't mind telling you I was nervous, not least of all because I knew I
would probably be the only hijab in an eclectic group of people from media
and legal circles.
I felt deeply self conscious as I approached the room, took a deep breath
and strided in. There was a sea of strange faces and so it was with great
relief I spotted the host and bounded over to her.
Obviously this was her night and I couldn't monopolise her company for long
as others were queuing to congratulate her well deserved position.
Then, to my relief I spotted an old friend from my days on The Observer -
let's call him Nick Cohen for that is indeed his name.
There he was standing, glass in hand, holding court just as I remembered him
although now follicly challenged and with a paunch.
I bounded over grinning from ear-to-ear to say hello to my old buddy . and
giggled as I remembered a brief encounter we had with a bottle of absinthe
in a watering hole next to The Observer.
But my joy at seeing an old mate (it had been more than five years) was
short-lived as I said hello.
He squinted hi s eyes as though trying to focus and swooped down his head
without his shoulders moving. "Who are you?" he bellowed.
I laughed and said: "Yvonne." And with that he jerked his head forward a few
inches, slightly tilting it to one side. "I'm sorry I don't know you," he
shouted in an abrupt manner.
"Nick, it's me, Yvonne . Yvonne Ridley!" I exclaimed, but by this time my
smile was rapidly fading although I tried my best20to fix my grin.
He twitched and his head moved slightly to the other side like some predator
about to s woop for the kill. "What on earth have you done with your hair,
where has your hair gone?" he demanded.
By this time, those around him began to shuffle uncomfortably while I just
stood there rooted to the spot.
Grin still fixed, I retorted: "Well I might ask the same of you Nick.
What's happened to your hair?"
He then swooped back up, stung by the unexpectedly swift response and
continued his conversation with those around him. There I was, left standing
like a bag of pork scratchings at a ramadan feast.
Some kind observer nearby came to my rescue and we began talking - in truth
I was so aghast I really can not remember much about the conversation.
In short I was deeply upset.
My old pal had turned on me in the most vicious way. I was told by mutual
friends he had not approved of my conversion to Islam though he never told
me himself.
If I remember correctly I publicly thanked him for helping me with a
sentence or two in an anti-war speech in November 2001 when I used his
phrase: "Tony Blair is carpet bombing our freedoms and liberties."
I remember even crediting him from my Trafalgar Square platform and
referring to him as "my friend Nick Cohen" much to the annoyance of some of
the people on the same platform.
Over the years I have sent him a few emails and left a couple of messages on
his voicemail, but just thought he must have change d numbers when there was
a lack of response.
I knew we'd bump in to each other again because the media village is small,
so I wasn't unduly perturbed by his silence, but I will admit that when we
finally caught up I was staggered and deeply hurt.
Nick Cohen is not a racist, and I know he doesn't dislike women - some would
say quite the reverse - so what has changed?
I hold the same political views as I did before and I still pray to the same
God, having moved from Christianity and St James' Church in Piccadilly to
Islam and Regent's Park Mosque.
The cigarettes and alcohol have gone since I became a Muslim, but what else
has changed? I am still a journalist writing for titles as diverse as The
Washington Post to the Tehran Times.
So all I can assume is that our friendship has come to an end because I am a
Muslim and wear a hijab.
Why else would he want to try and humiliate me in such a way? I remember
Nick as being funny and clever, but never cruel and offensive.
I am very sad because I feel I have lost a good friend . because I did
consider him a friend.
What a pity he didn't have the bottle to tell me he disapproved of my faith,
but had too much bottle that night to remember our friendship.
Now there's a sobering thought. |
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drhennataimoor
UNITED KINGDOM
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Posted - Monday, April 27, 2009 - 11:18 PM
yes a very nice article , and resonates with nearly all of us in the west wearing the hijab .
I keep seeing "the look" in other peoples eyes , and laugh inside . "I know what you'r thinking " and move on with my work .And Alhamdulilah here only I have even met people who have helped me b/c of hijab and even those who remained nice as if it didnt matter wether i have hijab or not.
So Allah is watching over all of us and may He make all of us to be nice to each other.
All this experience has had a positive impact on me in a way too thing , it is scratching out the pride in me , and i guess thats good , it makes me think of all the people who i may meet and make them feel uncomfortable b/c of their race or nationality and i would not like to do that now |
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hkhan
UNITED KINGDOM
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Posted - Saturday, May 2, 2009 - 5:18 PM
i agree; most of the time we do not at all need to clarify or justify our hijab~and really we don't need to be unnecessarily concious about it either. however there have been genuine racial/religious attack cases because of head scarf/hijab/burqa etc. and some of our sisters can be really tested with it~ but i don't think presently the situation is so bad that demands giving up these coverings.
i feel that our community needs to get involved with the members of other community at individual and collective level as much as we can afford to in our own circumstances~ in my experience, people know very little about the details of the rituals and practices of islam whereas in our minds, wen we are walking down the street, we feel that people looking at us know the whole Qura'n, prophet's sws teachings, hx of islam and so on;
once, as i asked some of our area ladies to send their teenagers in order to participate in the event organized by our local interfaith org. where 2 members of each community would dialogue with each other about their faith; some of the mothers felt very insecure and rejected the invitation from the org. straightaway saying that they did not want their children to be confused by givng them info. about other religions.
i feel that our young adults should be encouraged to participate in the academic way of learning, not only about their own religion, but as far as possible, about the ones around them; otherwise how do we expect others around us to learn or know about ours? |
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