...Sandra Mansell’s call to condemn any plan to ban head-scarfs in schools despite having never worn one, being utterly unlikely to ever wear one, yadda yadda.
First off, this’ll annoy the many Brethren using Western Australian schools. Brethren generally keep to themselves, are quiet, polite and respectful. We should be, if anything, encouraging these traits in school-children.
Second off, it’s a sure-fire way to push moderate, rational and friendly Muslims toward being immoderate, irrational and unfriendly. That’s just plain dumb.
Comments
If I need to. PlanetLA is picking it up from somewhere. Ah, they’re using Atom from http://leonbrooks.blogspot.com/atom.xml and if that’s no use perhaps you can grab PlanetLA’s RSS feed (http://planet.linux.org.au/rss20.xml) and filter that?
You know, I have to say the thing that I find more attrocious is the fact that we force our children to wear school uniforms in the first place. But given that uniforms are an accepted practice, then there should be no exceptions. Once you allow one exception to the practice you have to allow them all and religious propriety, being a choice, should have no greater sway than any other choice ie. fashion. Lose the uniforms or come up with a workable compromise - casual clothing in the school colours is one idea - and this 'problem' goes away.
I think the best indicator of the need for a variation is the seriousness with which the child and their parents take the dress requirements.
I don’s know of a standard index of seriousness but “religious conviction” in today’s schools indicates that they take it seriously enough to risk being regarded (and treated) as nutcases by the concensus majority. Rightly or wrongly. In a way, it’s a social bidding system: if we’re prepared to stick our necks out this far, we earn a certain degree of freedom of choice WRT clothing.
Simple, common-sense guides like “neat and tasteful” have been tried and found not to work. One girl’s idea of “tasteful” is another boy’s idea of “come and get me”. Or Twit A will wear a neat tee-shirt printed with a baphomet, and Twit B will wear a neat tee-shirt claiming that “Atheism is prophetless speculation” and it will be on for young and old. Or just a Dockers shirt and a ’Pies shirt — or even tream-coloured socks.