Her father cites religious tradition; school refuses to budge, says important to maintain uniformity.
The deadlock, over the issue of a girl from a minority community not being allowed to enter the class for wearing a scarf, remained unsolved on Tuesday.
While authorities of Little Flower English Medium School, where the girl studies, say that she would not be allowed in class wearing a scarf, her parents are exploring legal options. Meanwhile, the girl missed her school on Tuesday.
Her parents met RI Patel, district education officer, Ahmedabad city. “I have assured them that I will talk to school authorities,” said Patel.
On the other hand, the girl’s father said that they want acceptance of their religious tradition by the school. According to him, the school cannot legally stop his daughter from wearing the scarf. “My daughter has always remained at the top in the merit list. She has been studying in this school since class 1. And she has worn a scarf since then. Earlier she used to remove it outside the school and wear it again once she was out. But now she has grown up. She has to protect herself from the male eye, so she covers her upper body with the scarf. It is part of the Islamic tradition,” said the girl’s father, who is a civil engineer.
He added, “We are educated and religious too. The school is arguing that my daughter stands out because of her scarf. If so, why are students of other religions, like Sikhs, allowed to have a turban on their head? You have to adopt our cultural traditions too.”
However, school authorities are claiming that what the girl wears is not a scarf, but a burqa which not only covers her head but also half of her body. “The burqa covers her face and only her eyes are visible. We cannot allow her with even a scarf. There are nearly 1,000 Muslim girls studying in the school. Many of them wear a scarf or burqa but remove it outside the school and wear it again only after stepping out. Even their parents have no problem with this. It is just this girl who is adamant and defying rules and regulations of the school,” said Yvonne Shah, principal of the school.
She added, “An issue is being created unnecessarily. We are not against anybody, either the girl or her parents. The uniform is to promote uniformity and equality among students. We want to provide a secular environment in our school. She cannot differentiate herself from the rest of the class. If we relax the rules for one student or one community, tomorrow students from other communities will demand such relaxation.”
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