Kids Now Defy Heads to Wear Burka
Emma Wall, Star
A Sikh girl’s court victory yesterday means Muslim teens are now free to cover up with the burkha at school. Sarika Watkins-Singh, 14, won the right to wear a Kara bracelet after being excluded for defying a schools ban on jewellery. A judge’s ruling that she had been the victim of unlawful discrimination could start a stampede of kids wearing religious clobber in class. Lawyer Caroline Newman said: “A time is coming where Muslim girls will be allowed to wear a full burka as part of their uniform, though it might have to be in a colour to match.”
['Proud to be Welsh and a Sikh'. Schoolgirl wins court battle to wear religious bangle -Audrey Gillan, Guardian]
Muslim faith schools cause segregation, say teachers
Daily Mail
‘Hell will freeze over’ before Muslim schools give children a liberal education, teachers were told today. Faith schools threaten to cause religious segregation and must not be expanded, said Wesley Paxton from teachers’ union Voice. He suggested divisions like those seen in Northern Ireland between Protestant and Catholic communities could arise in England if more Islamic groups take over schools. His remarks follow government moves to give religious groups a greater role in education…
A mixed up view of Islam
Nadeem Kazmi, Guardian CiF
Yesterday’s letter from leading British Shia Muslims to Channel 4 is a significant example of Muslims doing what they are often accused of not doing – making effective use of complaints procedures available to them when the media is seen to attack their religious beliefs. The Channel 4 documentary, The Qur’an, was indeed frustrating to watch for anyone with even a general knowledge of Islam. Shia Muslims were rightly annoyed, not because of sensationalist portrait of their beliefs…
[Shia scholars demand new C4 film on their faith -Islamophobia Watch]
Queen Rania goes online to challenge stereotypes
Carolynne Wheeler, Telegraph (26/07)
Her YouTube channel, where videos featuring Arab comics, singers and the Queen herself are posted weekly, has drawn more than a million viewers since it was launched in the spring, surprising the Jordanian royal court with the reaction. “I’ve been surprised by some of the questions that I’ve been asked about the Arab world and Middle East”, the Queen tells viewers in one clip. “Do all Arabs hate Americans? Can Arab women work? Are there any YouTubers in Jordan?”
Succeed or Suffocate? (MPACUK)
Filed under: education, faith schools, film/video, islam, muslims, qur'an, shi'a, sikhism, television
