Muslim Schoolgirls Uncovered

Posted by Observer on January 28, 19102 at 20:42:37:

Singapore - The parents of three Moslem girls have until Friday to decide
if they want their daughters to remain in Singapore's national schools by
stopping the wearing of Islamic-style headscarves, education authorities
said on Monday.

If the girls continue to cover their heads contrary to the school uniform,
they will be suspended, officials said.

The three students have been wearing the "tudung" to primary school since
the term began even though the principals told their parents from the
start this was not allowed.

If suspended, they will be allowed back only if they follow the
common-uniform rule.

"There is a certain reason why the rules are like this," Deputy Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong told reporters on Sunday.

"We want the kids to be in the same uniform, to identify together and not
to have differences which will divide them and make it harder for them to
mix and integrate with one another," he said.

Some 14 per cent of the multi-racial population in the predominantly
Chinese city-state are Moslem-Malays.

Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff, the former head of an Islamic group who came
under heavy fire from government and Moslem leaders for criticising
Singapore's alignment with the United States and Israel, has argued the
school rule forces Moslem girls to go against Islamic requirements.

The girls and their parents have been counselled for the past four weeks
and advised of the reasons for a common uniform and the consequences of
not complying, the Education Ministry said in disclosing the details to
the Berita Minggu, a Malay-language newspaper.

A fourth Moslem girl has also been wearing the tudung since the second
week of this month, the report said. She and her parents are still being
counselled.

Zulfikar, who has quit as head of the Fateha group, was with the parents
of two of the girls when they argued with the schools, the ministry said.

He said he would not be involved in the issue any more, but had advised
the parents to seek legal advice if they wanted to pursue the matter.

Mohamad Kassim, the father of one of the pupils, said it was his
responsibility to ensure his daughter's uniform covers the parts of the
body required by Islam to be hidden from view.

"I am really hoping that my daughter can continue to be in the same
government school and be allowed to cover the stipulated areas", he was
quoted as saying. - Sapa-DPA

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