A US school where a pupil was admonished for a uniform infraction after wearing a hijab says it understands that its “handling of the situation came across as insensitive”.
A family member of the 8th Grade pupil at Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Massachusetts posted on social media a picture of the School Uniform Compliance Form that the girl received from a teacher for the hijab on Thursday.
In the description of the infraction, the headscarf worn by Muslim women was misspelled as “jihab”.
Hijab-wearing women’s cricket captain hopes to inspire — in pictures
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The Emirates Cricket Board are on a recruitment drive to get more women taking up the sport. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National -
The Emirates Cricket Board are on a recruitment drive to get more women taking up the sport. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National -
The Emirates Cricket Board are on a recruitment drive to get more women taking up the sport. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National
In an emailed statement, the school said that it allowed pupils to wear religious attire “as an expression of their sincerely held beliefs”, but asked them to provide a letter “expressing this desire from a member of their clergy”.
School superintendent Alex Dan said there were no consequences given to the pupil and that the form sent home was meant to start the conversation with the family about obtaining a religious accommodation. But Mr Dan acknowledged that the situation was mishandled.
"While we would like to reiterate that the well-respected staff member overseeing the process should bear no responsibility for what has transpired, we understand how our handling of the situation came across as insensitive and look forward to using this moment as a learning opportunity to improve our policies and procedures," the school's statement read.
The Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said its lawyers were representing the pupil's family and investigating the incident. The girl is now wearing a hijab at school, the group said.
Cair-Massachusetts executive director Tahirah Amatul-Wadud said wearing a hijab or other religious attire should not require families to seek an accommodation.
“I would like never for that student have to justify what she is wearing,” she said on Sunday. "I don't want them to ever have to justify that this requires an accommodation."
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Hilal Ibrahim launched Henna & Hijabs in 2017. -
The designer recently launched a line through Nordstrom. -
Her designs are available in 52 stores across the US and Canada. -
The designs range from everyday wear to special occasion. -
The young designer says she is looking to inspire Muslim women. Photo: Nordstrom -
She tells young women to 'be who you needed when you were younger'. -
Young Muslim women need to know that they can dream big, she says.
The Mystic Valley Regional Charter School also came under fire in 2017 for a policy of banning hair braid extensions. The parents of then 15-year-olds said their twin daughters, who are black, were punished for wearing extensions while white students had not been punished for breaches of hairstyle regulations.
After intense criticism, including from Democratic Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, the school abandoned the policy.
In July, Republican Governor Charlie Baker signed a law prompted by that incident to ban discrimination based on natural and protective hairstyles — such as Afros, cornrows or tightly coiled twists — in workplaces, school districts and school-related organisations in the state.
Muslim women protest over hijab rights in India – in pictures
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Muslim women wearing the hijab protest in Bangalore after students in the southern Indian state of Karnataka were barred from entering colleges wearing the traditional headscarves. EPA -
A girl with a placard reading 'Hijab is not just a piece of cloth, it's our dignity'. EPA -
Dozens of women have been protesting for weeks in a dispute that started when a college said students wearing the hijab were breaking dress policy. EPA -
Hijab bans and demonstrations against them have since spread to other institutions in India. EPA -
The women have received the backing of several organisations, while the colleges' stance has won the support of the state's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. EPA -
An Indian Muslim woman attends one of the protests in Bangalore. EPA -
The colleges' ruling is being challenged in court by women who say the right to wear the headscarf is guaranteed under India's secular constitution. EPA -
A banner makes the case for the constitutional right to wear the hijab. EPA -
Protests have been held for more than a month, since the first action was taken against six students in late December. EPA -
Hijab-wearing students speak to their principal outside a college campus in Udupi. AP -
Parents argue with a police official during a protest outside a college in Udupi. AP
