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ABC NEWS Australia |
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Muslim activists campaign against headscarf rulingsMuslim activists from across Europe have begun a campaign to defend the right of Muslim women to cover their heads. The campaign was launched at a conference in London. Several speakers at the conference said the headscarf ban in France and Germany was a violation of individual and religious freedoms. They emphasise that instead of being a symbol of subjugation of women, the hejab was an expression of freedom and self respect. Addressing the conference the outspoken Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi urged the French Government to reverse the ban on wearing the hejab in schools, saying the ban evokes a ghetto mentality. Similar messages of protest were made against bans in several German states and in Belgium. Currently, anti-racial discrimination laws in Britain ensure the right of Muslim students to wear their headscarf, but the issue continues to be controversial. Source: ABC NEWS |