A school which was told it unlawfully excluded a Muslim pupil for wearing a traditional gown has won its appeal at the House of Lords. The Court of Appeal had said Denbigh High School had denied Shabina Begum the right to manifest her religion in refusing to allow her to wear a jilbab. But in a unanimous ruling, judges at the House of Lords overturned that.
After the ruling, Miss Begum said: “Obviously I am saddened and disappointed about this, but I am quite glad it is all over and I can move on now. I had to make a stand about this. Many women will not speak up about what they actually want. I still don’t see why I was told to go home from school when I was just practising my religion.”