Good article by Haroon Siddiqui in the Toronto Star.
Category Archives: Hijab
Man who attacked hijab-wearing woman in Times Square not charged with assault
Rachel Gunnoe, a stay-at-home mom from New Jersey, was in a Times Square on Saturday, taking part in a demonstration against the military coup in Egypt, when she was accosted by a man who grabbed her protest sign, threw it in her face, and called her a “fucking terrorist.”
Her assailant, identified by the NYPD as Atef Sabry Abu El Enin, 33, of Washington D.C., was quickly restrained by officers but, the Voice has learned, he was not charged with assault.
Islamic school that doesn’t force pupils to wear veil is attacked by Tory politician … for forcing pupils to wear veil
A religious school in east London has been accused of requiring face veils for girls as young as 11 to be worn as part of its uniform policy. Conservative councillor Peter Golds said children should not be forced to wear the veil.
The dress code at Madani Girls’ School in Myrdle Street, Whitechapel, states that all pupils must wear a black burka and long black coat when outside.
Cllr Golds said: “I have concerns about children being forced to wear a garb for which there is no theological requirement. One would expect children at any school with a religious ethos to be dressed modestly, but not covered up. This is a decision that they should make as an adult.”
But in a statement, the school said it had been “misrepresented” and did not impose face veils on pupils. It said the word “burka” in its uniform policy refers to the jilbaab, which it described as “an outer garment, from shoulder to ankle length”.
Quebec Muslims defend religious rights
The PQ’s proposed Charter of Values is continuing to raise a ruckus, as another group has announced its opposition to proposed legislation – making a demand for “inclusive secularism.”
The new group, Quebec Muslims for Rights and Freedoms, believes individuals should be free to wear whatever religious symbols they choose, and say the province should make policies without interfering with religious institutions.
The group represents 50 Muslim organizations across the province which collectively oppose the Charter that – if passed – would limit anyone wearing religious symbols from holding government positions.
Student thinks she knows better than Muslim women what form of dress their religious beliefs require
A student asked not to wear her cap in Bromley College says she won’t agree unless Muslim women remove their headdresses as well.
Caroline Powell, of Sevenoaks Way, Orpington, is attending Greenwich University, which uses facilities in Bromley College, Rookery Lane. While inside the Bromley College buildings, the 39-year-old has been told repeatedly to remove her cap, but believes that, while Muslim women are allowed to wear headdresses, this represents “double standards”.
The 39-year-old told News Shopper: “It started in September last year when I got stopped at the door by a woman and she said ‘you need to take your cap off’. It is a small black leather cap but it’s part of my identity. She said ‘you need to take it off, they are the rules’. A Muslim woman walked in behind me and I asked if she was going to ask her to take off her headdress. I’ve read the Koran, and it doesn’t say they have to wear it, it is a choice.”
Muslim woman verbally abused by racist yob – twice in a week
A Muslim woman was told to get back to her own country twice in a week by a racist yob – despite her being white and British.
Police said it appeared the woman’s headscarf attracted the attention of the man. She was subjected to abuse on two separate occasions within days. The lady was walking in the Beaumont Park area with her son when she was verbally attacked.
NSS thinks allowing Muslim employees to wear hijab is giving in to ‘Islamist demands’
Yesterday it was reported that the clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch had lost two lawsuits brought by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after the company sacked one young Muslim woman and refused to employ another because they wore headscarves. The company announced that it had now changed its policy and would allow employees to wear the hijab.
Most of us would think this was a welcome victory against discrimination. But how does the National Secular Society report it? Under the headline “Abercrombie & Fitch accede to Islamist demands”. It’s the sort of response you would expect from the likes of Pamela Geller.
Abercrombie to let workers wear hijab
Trendy clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) has agreed to make religious accommodations and allow workers to wear head scarves as part of a settlement of discrimination lawsuits filed in California, lawyers announced Monday. The retailer will now allow hijabs, the traditional head scarves worn by many Muslim women when in public.
One judge determined the company fired a Muslim worker from a California store, while another judge said it refused to hire another woman in the state because of their refusal to remove their hijabs during work. The rulings came after the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed lawsuits on behalf of both women.
In court papers filed Friday, Abercrombie agreed to pay the women a combined $71,000 and unspecified attorney fees. Additionally, it has established an appeals process for workers who believe they were denied religious accommodations.
Swiss canton votes to ban veil
Voters in Switzerland’s Italian-speaking region on Sunday slapped a ban on wearing full-face veils, a move condemned by the country’s Muslim community and Amnesty International. Results from a referendum in the southern canton of Ticino showed that 65 percent of the electorate backed a proposal to forbid the covering of faces in public areas by any group.
Echoing bans in France and Belgium, the measure does not single out Muslims directly. It states that “no-one may mask or hide their face on the public highway, nor in places open to the public, except places of worship, nor those offering a public service”. But in a clear nod to the Islamic tradition of veils for women, it adds that “no-one may require another person to cover their face for reasons of gender”.
The measure was the brainchild of right-wing Ticino populist party “Il Guastafeste” – whose kingpin Giorgio Ghiringhelli [pictured] makes no secret of his criticism of Islam. “This is an historic vote for Ticino,” Ghiringhelli told Switzerland’s Italian-language broadcaster RSI. “And not just for Ticino, but also for Switzerland and abroad, where the Ticino example could spread.”
New York: Muslim woman assaulted, called ‘terrorist’ at pro-democracy rally
The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today reported an apparently bias-motivated assault on a New Jersey Muslim woman taking part in a pro-democracy rally in Times Square on Saturday.
CAIR-NY reports that the woman, who wears an Islamic headscarf (hijab), was called an “f**king terrorist” during the assault. The incident and the arrest of the alleged perpetrator were caught on video.