Joining a number of European states, the Norwegian government plans to ban female Muslim students from wearing the Islamic headscarf, or Hijab, in Oslo’s public schools, All Headline News reported.
Lawyers of the Norwegian ministry of Education told Oslo’s city council that the Hijab ban wouldn’t be illegal under the country’s laws.
According to Reuters, Oslo wants to ban female Muslim teachers from wearing the Burqa or Niqab, which covers the whole body and the face, claiming that teachers cannot do their job properly without seeing their students.
"We will introduce a ban after the summer holidays at the end of August,” said Toerger Odegaard, the head of the city’s education department.
The news sparked Muslim anger in Norway, where many Muslims of Pakistani and Somali origin live, mainly in Oslo.
Muslim leaders argue that the Hijab ban violates women’s rights and restricts their personal freedoms.
"We have been having a discussion about whether you should wear the Niqab or not, but making laws which ban it is just going too far," said Fakhra Salimi, the head of MiRA a partly state-sponsored group that helps female immigrants in Norway.
She added that women over the age of 16 should be free to decide whether to wear the Niqab or not.
The Hijab is meant to protect Muslim women from the eyes of men outside her family. It has been the subject of heated debate in several European countries for more than a decade.
In 2004, a Hijab ban was enforced on all female Muslim teachers and students in all state schools in France, where Muslims make up about 8% of the population.
In Germany, home to about 5 million Muslims, eight states banned public school teachers from wearing the Islamic headscarf. And in the capital, Berlin, all civil servants are banned from wearing the Hijab.
Last December, the Dutch parliament voted to ban Burqas, which are already banned in the Belgian town of Maaseik.
Lawyers of the Norwegian ministry of Education told Oslo’s city council that the Hijab ban wouldn’t be illegal under the country’s laws.
According to Reuters, Oslo wants to ban female Muslim teachers from wearing the Burqa or Niqab, which covers the whole body and the face, claiming that teachers cannot do their job properly without seeing their students.
"We will introduce a ban after the summer holidays at the end of August,” said Toerger Odegaard, the head of the city’s education department.
The news sparked Muslim anger in Norway, where many Muslims of Pakistani and Somali origin live, mainly in Oslo.
Muslim leaders argue that the Hijab ban violates women’s rights and restricts their personal freedoms.
"We have been having a discussion about whether you should wear the Niqab or not, but making laws which ban it is just going too far," said Fakhra Salimi, the head of MiRA a partly state-sponsored group that helps female immigrants in Norway.
She added that women over the age of 16 should be free to decide whether to wear the Niqab or not.
The Hijab is meant to protect Muslim women from the eyes of men outside her family. It has been the subject of heated debate in several European countries for more than a decade.
In 2004, a Hijab ban was enforced on all female Muslim teachers and students in all state schools in France, where Muslims make up about 8% of the population.
In Germany, home to about 5 million Muslims, eight states banned public school teachers from wearing the Islamic headscarf. And in the capital, Berlin, all civil servants are banned from wearing the Hijab.
Last December, the Dutch parliament voted to ban Burqas, which are already banned in the Belgian town of Maaseik.
that was funny! Really?
