High Court decision to ban teenager from wearing the jilbab to school is worrying and objectionable, say Muslim leaders

By Neo Hui Min

LONDON - A landmark decision by the High Court to ban a 15-year-old girl from wearing an ankle-length Islamic gown to school has sparked a renewed debate on the issue of wearing the Muslim dress in secular states.

The court's ruling on Tuesday has been greeted by a renewed call against such bans, with Muslim community leaders decrying the 'objectionable' decision.

The timing of the judge's decision could not have been more ironic.

Just a day earlier, some Members of Parliament turned up to support the launch of a campaign group called the Assembly for the Protection of Hijab, or Pro-Hijab.

The main aim of this association is to reverse bans on headscarves across Europe and other states with a Muslim population.

But on Tuesday, Shabina Begum, who has not attended her school in Luton for the past two years because she could not wear the jilbab to class, lost her case.

The judge found that her rights to education and religious freedom had not been denied by Denbigh High School's decision to ban the jilbab, a long, flowing gown covering the entire body except the hands and face.

The Muslim Association of Britain expressed 'deep concerns' at the ruling.

Even though Britain allows hijabs or headscarves to be worn in schools, the association said the ruling and the school's decision are 'signs that religious intolerance may acquire legitimacy, and that this may be the start to a hidden hijab ban in the UK'.

Britain's largest Muslim group, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), described the decision as 'very worrying and objectionable'.

The Muslim community here is a 'diverse community in terms of the interpretation and understanding of their faith and its practice', hence those who choose to wear the jilbab 'should be respected', it said.

The deputy secretary-general of the MCB, Dr Abdul Bari, noted: 'While Denbigh High School has accommodated other forms of Islamic dress, for some reason the school has chosen to make jilbab an issue.

'This should not really have been a concern in a school which has a Muslim pupil composition of almost 90 per cent.'

During the trial, head teacher Yasmin Bevan said that the school had imposed the ban to prevent students from falling prey to extremist groups.

She noted that some students had asked for the ban to stay, and that allowing the jilbab could result in the view that moderate Muslims who do not wear the jilbab are less religious.

Pro-Hijab coordinator Abeer Pharaon told The Straits Times that the school's worries are unfounded, as 'many other schools' allow the jilbab.

She felt that this case should not have gone to court in the first place.

'The school should have tolerated what she wears as long as it is the same colour as the school uniform, and the whole matter should have been sorted out as a community matter,' said Ms Pharaon, who also chairs the Muslim Women's Society here.

With the school's decision upheld by the court, Pro-Hijab now finds itself with a new case to champion almost immediately after its formation.

The group will include it as part of its campaign and there are plans to invite the girl to speak at its first conference next month, said Ms Pharaon.