Muslim girl returns to class in compromise with school

First Amendment Center -- AP ^ | 10/16/03 | UNK

[MineralMan]

MUSKOGEE, Okla. — A Muslim girl banned from school for wearing a religious head covering rejoined her classmates yesterday, and Muskogee school officials took a new look at the district’s dress code.

Eleven-year-old Nashala Hearn will be allowed to wear a head scarf, called a hijab, while a school attorney reviews the Muskogee school district’s policies.

“I think this is a victory for Islam, as well as other religions,” Nashala’s father, Eyvine, said after dropping off his relieved sixth-grader around 11 a.m. “All praise due to Allah.”

School attorney D.D. Hayes said the district decided to compromise by allowing Nashala to return in a covering that shows her face.

“We’re going to look at the legal authority submitted in support of her position and try and determine if there’s any validity to their arguments that there’s a problem with our dress code,” Hayes said.

He said he had been deluged by so many e-mails from outside groups questioning the case he had to change his e-mail address.

One group that threatened legal action, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called the school’s action a temporary solution.

“We’ll have to wait and see what the ultimate decision is on changing the dress-code policy,” said Ibrahim Hooper, the group’s communications director.

“We are also confident that school district administrators will ultimately decide in favor of changing the dress-code policy to accommodate all students’ religious practices, as mandated by the Constitution and Oklahoma law,” he said.

He cited the free-exercise clause of the First Amendment and the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act.

Nashala was suspended Oct. 1 by Benjamin Franklin Science Academy administrators for three days for violating the dress code, which bars hats, caps, bandanas or other headwear. She started wearing the head covering for the first time this year.

After returning from the first suspension still wearing the hijab, she was sent home for five more days.

Hayes said the head scarf that caused concern covered all but the girl’s eyes. A face-revealing head covering she had worn had gone unnoticed.

“Nobody noticed this head covering for the first month of school,” he said.

Other school districts across the country, including Tulsa, have adopted dress-code policies to include religious wear, medical necessity and for special occasions.

Hayes said a decision on whether to recommend policy changes to the school board will probably be made by the first of the year.

“If we conclude that we’re wrong, I’ll recommend we change it,” he said.

The girl’s father said Nashala had not wavered in her decision to wear the hijab, even if it ultimately meant attending another school

He said she was happy, however, to return to class.

[MineralMan]

Long thread on this a few days ago. Looks like the First Amendment still applies, even to little Muslim girls.

[vetvetdoug]

I said it before, politically correct Oklahoma would cave in on this issue while dumbass France would stand firm against the wearing of the Muslim veil by girls in public schools. Go figure.

[riri]

?All praise due to Allah.?

What we need, is more of that. Brother.

[Bikers4Bush]

As long as the other kids are allowed to wear crosses or stars of david symbols on necklaces or "Praise Jesus" t-shirts it seems fine.

Now if she wants to start covering her face for school ID pictures we have a problem.

[XJarhead]

This was just a dumb position for Oklahoma to take. It'd be like requiring Amish girls to wear knee length skirts to school. What's the point? Hopefully, she'll get to keep her scarf and the school will drop it.

[Guillermo]

Muslim girls are not required to wear the hijab until they've started menstruating.

Isn't 11 a bit young to start "that?"

[Tacis]

After all, she didn't try to do anything criminal like wear a cross on a chain around her neck or wear a "Jesus Saves" insignia!

[WackyKat]

I said it before, politically correct Oklahoma would cave in on this issue while dumbass France would stand firm against the wearing of the Muslim veil by girls in public schools.

That's because France doesn't have the freedoms of speech,expression, and religion that we have here.

[MineralMan]

"As long as the other kids are allowed to wear crosses or stars of david symbols on necklaces or "Praise Jesus" t-shirts it seems fine.
"

As far as I know, this did not involve jewelry at all. It was about headgear. The school also disallowed Yarmulkes for Jewish boys, although I do not know whether there are any Orthodox Jewish boys in that school.

Jewelry is another issue, but I agree with you. All kids should be able to wear whatever religious jewelry they wish. However, no religion I know of requires the wearing of any religious jewelry, so I suppose a school could ban all jewelry and get away with it.

T-shirts are yet another issue. I know of no religion that requires people to wear such thing.

[martianagent]

My standard line for women I see wearing burkas here in the USA:

Say, I know a place where you can buy a pistol to shoot the sorry a$$#ole who's making you wear that thing.

Good for interfaith relations and all that...

[MineralMan]

"Muslim girls are not required to wear the hijab until they've started menstruating.

Isn't 11 a bit young to start "that?""

Actually, you're a little out of touch. Lots of 6th grade girls have reached menarche. Even many 5th graders have their first periods. Menstruation begins as early as age 9 these days.

[MineralMan]

"My standard line for women I see wearing burkas here in the USA:


Say, I know a place where you can buy a pistol to shoot the sorry a$$#ole who's making you wear that thing.
"

Well, I'm sure that goes over well. Still, I doubt you have ever said it to a woman wearing one. That would be rather rude, and I'm sure you wouldn't do such a thing.

[Bikers4Bush]

The headscarf thing is relatively new to islam and therefore a "choice" item in my opinion.

Either they allow it all or they allow none of it. Since most schools are run by the state this ultimately comes right back to a separation of church and state arguement.

[Guillermo]

Consider me to be glad that I'm "out of touch."

[MineralMan]

"The headscarf thing is relatively new to islam and therefore a "choice" item in my opinion.

"

Depends on the sect of Islam. Some do require it. If that's the case, as with the yarmulke, then the school must allow it. These cases always end with the school losing, just as the cross-wearing bans are always defeated in court.

Religious expression is one of our most treasured rights. It must be protected at all costs, in my opinion.

Fortunately, our courts are adamant on these issues, so schools which mistakenly attempt to restrict such religious expression always lose. We don't hear about them losing; we only hear about the original bans.

Remember the teacher who was suspended for wearing a cross as a necklace. That story is still circulating widely on the net, even though it is long over, and the teacher is back at work with the cross on. We don't hear about her win much.

[steve8714]

Not universal custom in the "religion of peace", the hijab is relatively recent in adoption and is a foreign custom.

[MineralMan]

"Consider me to be glad that I'm "out of touch."


OK, no problem. But it's the reality of things, whether you like thinking about it or not. Actually, I remember a few girls who were "all grown up" when I was in 6th Grade back in 1956, so nothing much has changed.

[Roughneck]

“All praise due to Allah.”


Does no one understand what muslimes are doing? Well, since it's for the "widdle childwen" I guess it's ok to let islam infiltrate this country with our own first amendment.

The feds BEST NOT stop christians from praying ever again.

[MineralMan]

"Not universal custom in the "religion of peace", the hijab is relatively recent in adoption and is a foreign custom.
"

Neither is the yarmulke a universal custom in Judaism, but for those Jews who believe it to be a requirement, it is still required. As far as I know, the government doesn't get to tell folks what their religious requirements should be, nor is Islam or Judaism uniform across all sects.

Some Christian sects also require head coverings for women. Yours probably doesn't. Still, we must allow all such religious expression, unless it endangers others' religious expression or represents some serious breach of the peace.

You don't like Islam? Well, I don't like it much, either. But, it is the religion of a few million US citizens. I guess they get the same rights as the rest of us.

[bk1000]

"The feds BEST NOT stop christians from praying ever again."

Oh, but they will. Christians are the majority, and as we all know, the majority must suffer in order to pander to minorities. Thank a liberal for that! (sarscasm)