Oklahoma Student Suspended for Wearing Islamic Scarf

[Judi Lynn]

Oklahoma Student Suspended for Wearing Islamic Scarf; Muslim Civil Rights Groups Asks State Authorities to Intervene
48 minutes ago


WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the Oklahoma State Department of Education (news - web sites) to intervene after a Muslim public school student in that state was suspended twice for wearing a religiously-mandated head scarf, or hijab.


School officials in Muskogee, Okla., told the sixth-grader at Benjamin Franklin Science Academy that her head scarf violates their dress code policy. That policy prohibits hats, caps, bandanas or other headwear. The girl's father told the Muskogee Daily Phoenix (10/9/03) newspaper: "The principal kept saying it was not religious wear. They said if my daughter keeps wearing her hijab to school, they are going to kick her out."


On Oct. 1, the Muslim student was suspended for three days for wearing the scarf. When she returned to school still wearing hijab, she was suspended a second time for five days.


"This is a clear violation of the student's right to freely practice her faith and must be dealt with at the state level," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. He told the Daily Phoenix: "This is not an issue of separation of church and state because she is not imposing religion on anyone...Not allowing this girl to go to school because of her religious beliefs is un-American." (snip/...)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=669&ncid=669&e=3&u=/031009/180/5ituh.html

[TXlib]

1. Sounds like...

the school officials need to get their heads out of their asses.

That's just wrong.

[hobbes159]

8. Classic case of rectal-cranial inversion

n/t

[htuttle]

9. I've heard that called 'ingrown head', too

Awful lot of it going around nowdays...

[htuttle]

2. Do they allow Jewish students to wear Yarmulkes?

There's no difference.

on edit:

It looks like the law already addresses this (from the article):

He also cited guidelines on religious expression in public schools distributed by the Department of Education that state: "When wearing particular attire, such as yarmulkes and head scarves, during the school day is part of students' religious practice, under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act schools generally may not prohibit the wearing of such items."

[rocktivity]

3. Do they suspend Jews for wearing a yarmulke?

I'm sure they consider those religious wear!


rocknation

[bluestateguy]

4. The law is pretty clear about stuff like this

As long as the religious garb does not interfere with the educational mission of the school the garb must be allowed. If her religion mandated wearing a switch blade on her waist at school that would be another issue. And I don't want to hear anything from religious fundamentalists who bitch about Christians not having the same rights. They are free to wear cross necklaces, Christain T-shirt and the ash on the forehead for Ash Wednesday at school.

[patdem]

5. I went to Catholic school and if you did NOT wear a scarf to church

you could not even enter the front door!!! All women had to have their heads covered, and all men had to remove what ever head covering they had??? Made sense NO...but it was doctrine.

The only difference between the Catholic religion and the Islam religion is that we could take the scarfs off when we left church? Doctrine...as in indoctrinated!!!

[MissMarple]

6. This is so embarrassing for public education.

These guys sound like a bunch of uneducated yahoos. Persecuting a child like this is inexcusable. The school authorities who perpetrated this ridiculous show of power and ignorance should be held personally responsible. They are obviously way over their heads in the professional positions they are attempting to fill.

[Sephirstein]

7. Put it this way...

I went to a fucking Catholic school, and the authorities there wouldn't even do this. (And even if they wanted to, it would be a violation of the Ontario Education Act, do to the public nature of Catholic schools.)

[karlschneider]

10. I lived in Muskogee for 12 years and now just 12 miles away. No surprise.

Merle Haggard had some things to say about it - he was about half right.
:eyes:

[Ellen Forradalom]

11. "Oh, I'm proud to be hijabi from Muskogee.."

"A place where even Muslims have a ball
We say Allahu Akhbar at the courthouse
The Koran's still the biggest thrill of all."

[Nevernose]

13. "I'm proud to be an asshole from El Paso"

Oh, wait, that was Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys -- one of the all-time greatest parody songs.

[julka]

14. gag me with a dreidl

Friedman says he wrote the president that he'd like to sleep in the Lincoln bedroom with four women and four dogs. He says Bush replied that he wasn't sure about the women, but the dogs were a possibility.

They met when Bush was governor and Laura Bush invited Friedman to be in the Texas Book Festival, just as she has included him in the first National Book Festival in Washington Sept. 7 and 8.

[FlemingsGhost]

12. In that case, no crosses or Stars of David.

Am I wrong?