The headteacher who took the decision to ban a 12-year-old girl from wearing the niqab at school, has said in the resultant court case that she did so to promote equality between men and women:

As a girls' school for over 100 years, we are very conscious of our duty to educate girls to regard themselves as equals to men and to gain the self-confidence to live and work in British and international society on the same level as men.

I've been wary of the politics of this issue, where it should actually be about what the rules are and how they're enforced. Either the niqab is, or is not, part of the uniform. The court needs to decide whether it is legitimate for the school to enforce the ban. It should not be deciding whether or not it promotes equality between men or woman. That kind of subjectivity could open a can of worms on all sorts of articles of clothing.

Nor should it be deciding whether it is an integral part of Islam. Taj Hargey (head of the hugely representative Muslim organisation MECO) has been championed by the Daily Telegraph for saying he will - thanks to international donors (presumably not Saudi) - put up £500,000 to help the school's battle. Given Hargey's clear ideological position on this, I can't see how the school can in all good conscience accept this loaded money.

Comments

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Without getting into the debate about the wearing of the niqab/jilbab by schoolchildren, I think it quite right that schools should be allowed to put down their own uniform/dress code. The decision should be up to the governors what the children wear, not those who may well have their own agendas.

[Osama]

I agree, and more informed decisions need to be taken than the arbitrary one taken by this headmistress one lunch hour, in contravention of school history where both of this girl's older sisters had worn it and been amongst the school's very top achievers.

[Farah]

A lot of niqab/ veil wearing girls are high achievers and very confident.

As part of rules and regulations in taking exams and checking the identity of pupils - consideration is given to pupils who wear the niqab/veil. Invigilators are requested to "politely" ask the pupil to a room aside to check the identity by a 'female' invigilator. This shows that the education system does recognise pupils wearing the veil and are careful as to not cause any distress to the pupil respecting their religious beliefs by making sure a female invigilator checks the identity of the pupil as is required, and 'politely' rather than in any other manner.

So it probably depends on how much a school wants to accommodate and recognise the various needs of pupils in society today.

[aineliva]

I think the can of worms has already been opened OS.

Can you say why you see this money as being loaded? I don't know what Hargey's ideological position is. Have not heard of him till now.

[Yakoub Islam]

Thanks for this post. My daughter is on a nursing course with two Muslims sisters who wear niqab. Also, let's not forget that the MECO claims that niqab is somehow an expression of Wahhabism is contradicted by the fact that at least one member of the Sufi MUQ wears a niqab:
http://slfountain.wordpress.com/2006/12/30/daily-mail-talking-drivel-again/

Wasalaam

Yakoub

[Yusuf Smith]

As-Salaamu 'alaikum,

Taj Hargey is effectively a Khalifite - someone who believes that the ahadeeth are not a source of Islam and that Islamic law is based on the Qur'an alone - you can read this on at least one of MECO's press releases. This is kufr, of course. Hargey is a liar and is misrepresenting the Muslims for his own sectarian ends.

[Osama]

Apologies Ainelivia, I forgot to link to this article in the post.

Yakoub, meanwhile it was also interesting that the director of King Fahad Academy, the Saudi wahhabi funded school at the centre of the recent 'Jews and Christians are apes and pigs' row, is a shia who doesn't wear hijab, never mind niqab.