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June 21, 2006
Norway: Oslo To Ban Muslim Veil In Schools
When people speak of the "veil", they often refer to the Muslim headscarf, or hijab, which leaves the face open to view. But the true "veil" is the nikab or niqab (pictured).
Today, Aftenposten reports that the Directorate for Primary and Secondary Education has given permission for the nikab to be banned in schools. Teachers are said to believe that the nikab hinders communication. In the Netherlands, it was considered to be frightening for small children to have staff enveloped in face-covering items, such as the nikab or the burka.
In October last year, the issue of the hijab was itself causing conflict in schools, among Muslim girls. Muslim girls not wearing the headscarf are called whores or "loose" by their hijabbed fellow students. The decision by the education directorate will only outlaw the veil or nikab, and will not affect the wearing of the Muslim headscarf.
Erling Lae, the leader of Oslo City Council, has decided to remove the veil in schools because it causes problems for teachers who cannot see their students' faces, states Norwegian TV station NRK.
The ruling will now make it possible for the nikab to be banned from schools in other municipalities in Norway.
Torger Oedegaard, Oslo city councillor for schools and education, said: "We are not forbidding religious garments. One must distinguish between the religious hijab and the completely covering niqab. The latter makes it impossible to have good communication between teacher and student, and between students as well."
One Muslim woman, who is head of the MiRA Resource Center for immigrant and refugee women, obviously did not agree. Fakhara Salimi said: "Banning something that impinges on an individual's freedom is never good. Adult women over 16 should be able to choose for themselves."
If you go to live in a foreign country, there is a simple rule - "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Westerners do not pose in Saudi Arabia's streets with bikinis, and Muslims moving to the West, where they will receive free handouts, should observe the same courtesy towards their host countries. Shouldn't they?
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at June 21, 2006 1:00 PM
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Polish Children Vs Muslim Children
John Reid, the ex-Home Secretary has predicted that more Catholic schools are needed due to influx of East European migrants. An estimated 20,000 Polish children need schools for their faith. He highlighted the growing pressure on faith school places because of the growing number of Polish Catholic children in the United Kingdom. There is a demand for Catholic school places because 95% of Polish are Catholics. Polish ambassador to the United Kingdom said that there are now so many Polish children in British schools that they should be taught Polish language, history and culture, so that they do not find themselves cut off from their cultural roots and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry. Many schools are recruiting Polish teachers as role models. Churches have started Sermons in Polish language so that the Polish people can feel at home.
Muslim communities have started to arrive during the 50s, mainly from the sub-continent. They brought their cultures, languages and faith. They contributed for the British economy by paying all sorts of taxes. They built Masajid for offering prayers and community centers for the education of their young generations. Not a single politician ever thought and campaigned for state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models. Instead, Muslim children are being discouraged to learn and speak their mother tongues even at home by the politicians. Even Imams are being forbidden to use Urdu in their sermons, inspite of the fact that majority of British Muslims are from Pakistan. Bilingualism should be encouraged because it is enormously beneficial to children development. It should be introduced as early as nursery level. I believe the result would be amazing. It is absurd to send bilingual children to schools with monolingual teachers.
Muslim schools in Britain emerged as an answer to a major challenge that Muslim communities faced in the West on how to educate their children and inculcate Islamic values and morals among them. Muslim children have been suffering academically, linguistically, socially, emotionally and spiritually for the last 50 years. They have been in a wrong place at a wrong time. The state schools have become exam factories. They have no time and energy to educate children. Institutional racism, incivility, drug, crime, binge drinking, anti-social behaviour, high rate of abortion and an increase in teenage pregnancies are common part of life in state schools. Muslim parents do not want their children to be integrated into such barbarity. Muslim children need to learn to be proud of their Islamic, cultural and linguistic Identities without fear of discrimination and bullying. There are over 500,000 school age Muslim children and only 4% of them attend Muslim schools. There is a need for more Muslim schools but they are being asked by the politicians to open their doors for the children of other faiths or no faiths. The demand for Muslim schools is immense and every school has a lengthy waiting lists. Muslim communities do not have enough resources to set up schools for each and every Muslim child. There are hundreds of state schools where Muslim children are in majority, in my opinion all such schools may be designated as Muslim community schools.
Iftikhar Ahmad
Posted by: Iftikhar
at September 29, 2007 1:03 PM
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