Muslim girl in Oklahoma can wear head scarf to school

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/05/19/na...

The six-year agreement, filed in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma, also requires the Muskogee Public School District to change its dress code to allow exceptions for religious reasons.

"This settlement reaffirms the principle that public schools cannot require students to check their faith at the schoolhouse door," said R. Alexander Acosta, assistant attorney general for civil rights.

The government filed suit in March on behalf of 11-year-old Nashala Hearn. She had been suspended twice by the district for wearing a head scarf, or hijab, to class. School officials said her clothing violated a dress code banning hats and other head coverings.

...

Acosta told reporters that school officials raised their initial objections on Sept. 11, 2003 -- exactly two years after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington -- even though Hearn had worn the scarf for several weeks. The officials, Acosta said, told her that other students were "frightened" by her scarf.

Pretty straightforward to this atheist - religious garb is not-regulatable speech. Why are hats and head coverings banned anyway; "gang" activity? A mere 15 years before I attended my high school, they required the girls to wear hats (and gloves, too).

Good.

how fundamentally and incredibly important this issue is.

a nice young Christian girl forbidden to wear her crucifix necklace because the school had a dress code against jewelry.

....that was pretty heartily supported round these parts which surprised me.

movement, and his son goes to school wearing a shirt with a Rebel flag on front and a noose on the back, that's okay? How about a white hood? A big cross with a crucified Christ? Where do you draw the line and who does the drawing?

Proper Muslims pray 5 times a day. Should the young lady be allowed to stop class for prayers? I know that few here would be in favor of giving that priviledge to Christian children.

Personally, I think school should be for education, not expressing your religious beliefs. Keep religion in the churches and out of the classrooms. Crosses, crucifixes, stars-of-David, head scarves and all the rest of that stuff is just a distraction from what they're there for.

JMO

The rebel flag & noose are symbols of hatred.

A simple scarf is just how many Muslim women express modesty. There's nothing wrong with a cross on a necklace--or a Star of David, or a pentacle. It's a matter of discretion.

the gates to expressing religion in the classroom. She wears a scarf. The next kid will push the issue further, and the next further until its completely outrageous and out of hand.

I just believe public schoold should be totally secular in nature. I admire the French for what they are doing-if it applies to all religious symbolism.

Certain forms of intimidating dress may be restricted or banned without undue encroachment upon constitutionally guaranteed liberties.

Are you intimidated by scarves, btw?

A better analogy for your argument would be something like wigs. Should Jewish orthodox teenage girls have the right to wear wigs to school, or must they be stripped at the door?

Should Amish kids be allowed to wear plain clothes to school?

There's something wrong with comparing religiosly compliant modesty in dress to grossly offensive symbols of religious hatred.

expression should be absent from public schools. Other children will respond to this child's case to push their particular issues and to draw attention to themselves. They will stretch the rules past their limits.

Hell, I believe school uniforms would improve classroom behavior and the learning process.

BTW, I don't have any kids so what the hell do I know. My dog ain't in this fight. I'm just strongly opposed to religious dress/activity/proselytizing etc. in the public school system. Next we'll have organized prayer and bible classes.....

lead to organized prayer and bible class?

In fact, acknowledgement of a diverse student body might discourage the school setting up religion-specific activities.

Everybody must wear uniforms! Everybody must look exactly like everybody else! Everybody must stay in the closet!

Kids don't check the First Amendment at the door. Many Muslims kids in school do pray five times a day (only two or three of them at school), but they don't do it in the middle of class, they do it between classes. Note that some Christian kids say grace before lunch.

One of my problems with the French ban is it isn't applied equally: scarfs and yarmulkes are banned but small crosses are allowed. It seems to me more like French cultural bigotry disguising itself as secularism.

You can tell the difference between advocating violence against people and simple religious expression and tradition.

The law would not be on her side there.