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]

"Why do we bend for these yo yos who just reached the shores of Ameriac? "

There's an Islamic family that lives a block from me. The parents are third-generation citizens, and their children are 4th-generation. The women and adolescent girls wear head coverings, just like this girl in the story. A lot of Muslims have been here for a long, long time.

Sorry.

[PsyOp]

?All praise due to Allah.?
What we need, is more of that. Brother.

I submit that in this case all praise is due the United States Constitution, which protected this person's religious rights (in this case anyway).

We'll have to see if this same right will be extended to Jewish kids who might decide to wear a Yarmulka to this school.

[freeangel]

Well, just try wearing a "christian" t shirt or crosses to shool and let's see if the ACLU finds it offensive. And that prayer before lunch too.

[Political Junkie Too]

Muslim girl returns to class in compromise with school

What is the compromise? All I see in the article is the school backing down and potentially admitting wrong. Did the girl have to give something up, too, or did the headline writer try to downplay the school's backing off?

-PJ

[Roughneck]

The First Amendment applies to everyone, not just Christians


Islamists desire to take over our country for islam. This is fact. It is why they are here.

WHen we allow entirely different cultures to change things as small as dress codes, we are going on a dangerous path.

Changing our policies and culture for the sake of rag-heads and other third-worlders has NOTHING to do with the first ammendment!

What are the appeasers going to do when there is so many islamists here that we CHANGE our constitution to suit them?? That is a violation of ALL of OUR RIGHTS!

Period!

[Roughneck]

Also, Look at England and France. They can hardly make a move on their own because of the MASSIVE islamist take-over of their countries!

[Roughneck]

Ya'll take a Good, Long, look at France and England.

Thats what PANDERING to ISLAM does!

[swarthyguy]

Hayes said the head scarf that caused concern covered all but the girl’s eyes.

This was not simply a head scarf but a full blown burqa type covering.

[Roughneck]

A lot of Muslims have been here for a long, long time.

Yep. They are called SLEEPER CELLS!!!! Have we forgotten about those?

Pandering to islam (religion of the pedophile king) is idiotic!

[halfdome]

Where in the US have you ever seen a woman wearing a burqua? And, FYI, many of the women who cover themselves doe it because they want to, not because someone tells them to.

[MineralMan]

"A lot of Muslims have been here for a long, long time.

Yep. They are called SLEEPER CELLS!!!! Have we forgotten about those?

Pandering to islam (religion of the pedophile king) is idiotic!
"

Yeah, really? Well my neighbor earned a Silver Star in Vietnam. You go talk to him about sleeper cells, if you have the huevos. He's not in any sleeper cell. You're letting your fear and hatred for all Muslims color your thinking, in my opinion. That's a mistake.

[TexasCajun]

...and not display their ornaments

Ornaments?? I like mine(acutaly my wife's) Au Natural! ..we share.

[dennisw]

There's an Islamic family that lives a block from me. The parents are third-generation citizens, and their children are 4th-generation. The women and adolescent girls wear head coverings, just like this girl in the story. A lot of Muslims have been here for a long, long time

Actually very few have been here a long long time.

[MineralMan]

"Actually very few have been here a long long time."

And you have statistics to demonstrate that? Further, how do you tell the ones who have been here for 50 years from the ones who arrived 5 years ago?

[TexasCajun]

For a Godless Atheis you sure are knowledgeable on religions.

PS - Tell your neighbor the CIA could use him. There are muslim organizations and sleeper cells in our country that would do us harm if given the oppurtunity.

[MineralMan]

"For a Godless Atheis you sure are knowledgeable on religions.
PS - Tell your neighbor the CIA could use him. There are muslim organizations and sleeper cells in our country that would do us harm if given the oppurtunity.
"

On your first point, I've studied the religions of the world all my adult life.

On your second, he could well be doing just that. How would I know? I do know that he's a patriotic citizen. You don't earn the Silver Cross for sitting on your butt. We have a small Muslim population in my town of 16,000. Most are more than two generations as citizens. I don't know that many of them personally, but I do know my neighbor. He's one of the few to which I'll loan power tools, and that's saying a lot.

No doubt there are Muslims in this country who mean the country and its citizens harm. They are few, however, it seems. Most Muslims are good citizens, in my experience. They own businesses, create jobs, and pay their bills and taxes just like the rest of us. I see no reason to condemn them as a group, any more than I see any reason to assume that everyone with an Italian surname is a Mafia member.

[dennisw]

And you have statistics to demonstrate that?.......

The immigration floodgates have only been thrown open since 1965. Previously 97% of Arab immigration was Christian Arab. Muslims were afraid to come here. It's only in the last 25 years or so that Muslims have been coming in great numbers. If you pay me I'll dig up the statistics

[MineralMan]

"The immigration floodgates have only been thrown open since 1965"

Hmm...that's 40 years, almost.

[dennisw]

Your logic is lousy but if you want to lie to yourself I won't stop you. You think because you know one Muslim family that's been here so long there must be many (as a percentage of US Muslims) who fit the bill. You are dead wrong and I will bet on it.

[MineralMan]

"The immigration floodgates have only been thrown open since 1965. Previously 97% of Arab immigration was Christian Arab. Muslims were afraid to come here. It's only in the last 25 years or so that Muslims have been coming in great numbers. If you pay me I'll dig up the statistics."

You're right, actually. Most Muslim immigration has come since 1965, although quite a few immigrated earlier. The first mosque in the US was completed in Cedar Rapids, IA in 1934. Not long after that, the Mosque in Dearborn was built.

These immigrants, however, had children and, by now, grandchildren. Among them is my neighbor, who is still a Muslim, and was a native-born citizen when he joined the Marines in 1965.

His daughters, who I watched grow up, wore head scarves from the time they were about 12. They have their own kids now, and they all still practice Islam.

You cannot paint every Muslim with the same brush, any more than you can paint every American of Italian descent with the same brush, or any other group of immigrants.

I judge people one at a time, and based on information about them as individuals. It's a mistake to put everyone into some group you define.