The mental gymnastics required to defend the school's position are mindboggling.
The digressions about Motorcycle Sikhs, and Jack London books are interesting in a ridiculous kind of way. But they are completely irrelevant to this poor girl. Motorcycle helmets are a safety issue, Jack London was a part of an educational experience. This girls hijab is not a threat to anything except conformity.
This school is simply wrong on numerous fronts.
THE SCHOOLS OBLIGATION
The problem is the rule, not the student's religion.
A public school has the responsibility to provide an education to all of the students in its community. If the policies of a school are a problem, it is the *school* that should change, not the community.
The fact that this is a minority is irrelevent. The majority can not take away the rights of a minority -- especially in a public institution.
A RIDICULOUS RULE MINDLESSLY APPLIED
No one can give any real reason that this girl can not wear hijab. No one is saying this girl poses any danger to the school. There is no reason to believe that this girl will increase gang activity or harm in any way the educational experience (I believe she probably helps this experience).
There is no cost to either ditching the dress code rule altogether, or providing an exemption for religious garb.
There is absolutely no reason that the school can not change its silly rule.
PLURALISM
There is a huge benefit to allowing and even celebrating religious and cultural differences among us. Contrary to the rhetoric here, School should not be about learning to mindlessly follow just because that's the way things are.
School is about learning to question and finding and expressing your individuality. learning to accept people who think and act differently than you is a great thing to have in our country and our schools.
Rules that limit cultural expression go against the most important part of education.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Freedom of expression is an important part of our society. It is an American's right to express different and even unpopular ideas and customs. This is the same as a students right to express unpopular views. A student's right to wear a t-shirt criticising Bush has been rightfully upheld by the courts. The rights to religious expression are even more important.
For the record (and based on other responses) Jesus Fish, Skull caps should be, and are, legally protected in public schools.
BALANCE
If a religion insists you bring weapons to school, use drugs etc. there is a conflict. In these cases society must balance one set of rights against another set of concerns. There are interesting issues surrounding this.
The school has the responsibility to meet the needs of this student unless there is a compelling reason. Fear of a different culture, or a desire for uniformity is not a compelling reason.
Come on now! This is a girl who wants to wear a head-scarf who is confronted by a school adminstration who is trying to stomp out differences.
There is no legitmate reason she should be prevented from wearing it, and many reasons she should be allowed to.
Get rid of the scarf or stay home. At some point or another people have to realize that this country was founded on Judeo Christian values and laws. Islamic law doesn't apply here. If the rules state "No headcoverings" then no scarf. If this offends her then she should go to private school, or muslim school.
cj, I am not sure if you intended your response to be taken seriously, or as a parody. I looked at your other posts... and I am still not sure...
But,
Far from being built on "Judeo Christian values and laws", the US was built on a willingness to oppose laws that go against our values of liberty and fairness.
The revolution that founded this country was clearly forbidden by the Christian Bible (Romans 13 for example). It was started by open rebellion to unfair laws instituted by a divinely appointed king.
The most significant things that have happened in this country, happened because people were willing to break laws to protect the rights of themselves or others, or to stop an injustice.
The U.S. Justice system is based on the Ten Commandments, whether you like it or not.
School says Muslim girl can return with scarf
Wednesday, October 15, 2003 Posted: 11:19 PM EDT (0319 GMT)
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (Reuters) -- An 11-year-old Muslim girl suspended from an eastern Oklahoma school for wearing a religious head scarf was allowed to return to classes on Wednesday, wearing her head covering known as a hijab.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Southwest/10/15/life.scarf.reut/index.html
Oh!
Thanks for the update, au.
I think everyone else then should show up wearing one of these tomorrow:
Now I know you are joking...
The Ten Commandments (paraphrased by me)
1. You shall have know other God before me.
2. You shall not make or worship idols.
3. Don't misuse the name of God.
4. Don't work on Saturday.
5. Honor your father and mother.
6. Don't murder.
7. Don't commit adultery.
8. Don't Steal
9. Don't give false testimony.
10. Don't covet other people property or wives (are wives property?)
Let's see. There are laws against #6, #8 and #9. But there are laws against these in nearly every legal code since before Moses.
Numbers 1,2 and 3 are specifically contradicted by the first Amendment to the Constitution.
Number 4 has never been part of law. There were so-called blue-laws that restrict work on Sunday in Massachusetts (they even got the day wrong). The small amount of support they have now is more for concern of workers.
Number 5 has never been part of law and #7 has always been unenforcable and widely ignored.
And #10, Jeesh ... breaking this one is the American Way(tm)!
The cornerstones of our Justice System -- trial by jury, presumed innocence, habeus corpus etc. are not mentioned by the 10 Commandments or any other part of "biblical" law. They are sometimes directly contradicted.
The law of Moses (instituted with the 10 commandments) was pretty barbaric. This law says you must kill a girl by throwing stones at her if she leaves the wrong pattern of blood on a rag on her wedding night.
The U.S. justice system was most definitely not based on the 10 Commandments.
Thank God!
e_brown, I like your way of thinking on this issue, because it mirrors mine. I think it's a stupid rule that was established that went overboard on "dress code." Glad to see someone else that's not following the crowd.
cjhsa wrote:The U.S. Justice system is based on the Ten Commandments, whether you like it or not.
The US justice system is in large part based in rational thought, education and debate. The influence of the 10 commandments, by comparison, was very minimal I think.
Why do you think I am joking? If she doesn't have to follow the rules, then no one else should have to follow them either. Why not toss in a little underage drinking while we're at it?
She says her religion requires her to cover her head. I say mine requires me to do beer bongs at 8:00 AM every morning. You think I'm joking?
Comparing covering of head due to religious reasons to beer bongs at 8:00 am every morning....
Sometimes I really wonder how bizzare this world and its inhabitants are....
Com'on Guatam, the rules are as they are. Either they have to be ammended or she can't wear the damn thing. Period.
Ammendments and exceptions are sometimes necessary &/or the best way to go.
I don't get it. Are beer bongs part of the 10 commandments?
cjhsa wrote:Com'on Guatam, the rules are as they are. Either they have to be ammended or she can't wear the damn thing. Period.
Now we agree. The rules have to be amended. Period.
Let's talk about something else.
Ofcoarse! Burried in one of the ten in small print is "thou shalt drink and be merry."
C.I.
I think the admonition is. Thou shalt not drink of the berry.
I also get the impression that some believe if you do not agree with an existing law it is OK to break it. Does that apply to robbery and murder as well? I believe that some killers should be taken to the nearest lamppost and hung since the existing laws are to cumbersome and slow.
Au,
As we have discussed before, there is a long and noble history of Civil Disobedience in this country. Many of the most important things that have happened in our history - Abolition of Slavery, and The end of Prohibition - to name a couple have occured because people were willing to break *unjust* laws.
During the abolition movement many otherwise law-abiding people on the "underground railroad" broke the law to harbor slaves who were escaping for freedom. They did this because there conscience informed them that their convictions about what was right were more important than the law.
Conscience and my values are more important than the laws. If a law goes against my strong beliefs I will break it, while I am working to change it.
Breaking laws for reasons of conscience is quite a bit difference that robbing and murdering.
