UK Public Schools Forcing Girls As Young As Four To Wear Muslim Veil

Research published in The Sunday Times this week revealed that eight state-funded British schools are forcing children to wear the Islamic hijab along with other Muslim female dress code requirements, which includes girls as young as four. The findings are based on open source investigations into published dress code directives of 176 Muslim schools across Britain, most of which are private.

However, the new discovery of public schools among them has sparked outrage across the UK, especially as three of the schools are elementary level schools (including kindergarten). According to The Sunday Times:

Girls as young as four are being “forced to wear the hijab” as part of approved school uniform in state-funded Islamic schools, campaigners have told ministers.

According to research by the National Secular Society, the hijab appears to be compulsory in eight state-funded Islamic schools in England, including three primary schools.

A further 51 private Islamic schools of the 176 surveyed by the society also require the headscarf to be worn by female pupils. Eighteen schools said wearing the head covering was optional.

Shockingly, one particular school called the Independent Olive Secondary requires that, “Hair should be covered by a black scarf; outside the School the face must be covered,” while another UK school is explicit in stipulating that, "It is very important that the uniform is loose fitting and modest and that the hijaab is fitted closely to the head. The College uniform is COMPULSORY" (sic). The Tayyibah Girls School in London warns: "The school is not willing to compromise on any issues regarding uniform."

The Tayyibah Girls School in London.

Meanwhile, some schools go so far as to recommend the niqab. For example girls at Al-Ihsaan school in Leicester are told they must wear either a “jilbaab or niqab”. The jilbaab is a long and loose-fitting gown which covers the entire body expect for hands, face, and feet. But the niqab recommendation is much more significant in that it is practiced by only a small minority within the Muslim world - it covers the entire face except for the eyes, and is typically worn with black garments with cover head to toe. 

In addition to the eight publicly funded schools which require head coverings of veils, thirteen others cite an optional hijab as part of their uniform policy. Islamic academies in Britain came under scrutiny early this month when a previous Times story first reported that "Thousands of state primary schools are allowing girls as young as five to wear the Muslim religious headscarf as part of approved school uniform, a Sunday Times survey has revealed."

The earlier investigation found that even Church of England associated schools were increasingly adopting various forms of Islamic dress as acceptable among students:

Last month a survey by The Sunday Times revealed that nearly a fifth (18%) of 800 state primary schools, including Church of England primaries, in 11 regions of England now list the hijab as part of their uniform policy, mostly as an optional item.

Feversham College is a high school level academy specializing in Science for Muslim girls aged 11-18 years. It"s website spells out that a "close-fitting" hijab is "COMPULSORY" (sic).

Activists associated with the investigation cited by The Sunday Times called the uniform requirements “illiberal and repressive” and stated, “no child should be obliged to wear the hijab or any other article of religious clothing while at school.” Included among those appealing to the UK education secretary to root out such practices, especially when they appear at state funded schools, are Muslim women activists.

Of course, it"s mostly a good thing when the state leaves private religious schools alone to do or require whatever they want in terms of dress code, but that state funded UK schools would enforce Muslim veils is the deepest hypocrisy in a country which has recently been known to target and punish families wanting to opt out of LGBT related curriculum. The British authorities have even threatened Orthodox Jewish schools with closure with the ultimatum: "teach your children about homosexuality and gender reassignment, or we will close you down."

In a trend that began years ago, the British education secretary began warning even Christian private schools that their teaching curriculum must reflect the "UK values" and laws concerning transgender recognition. The government now routinely cites "combating extremist" as a motive for getting private schools to conform.

School Cop Grabs Gun, Tries to Arrest Straight-A Student — for Violating Dress Code

Harrisburg, NC — Unless you’ve been under a rock lately, you may have noticed that the American police state is in full force. Particularly worrisome, however, is the growth of the police state within the school system — which is conditioning children to accept it later in life.

A senior at Hickory Ridge High School in Harrisburg, North Carolina, got a full frontal dose of the police state last week when she was threatened with arrest for an alleged violation of the school’s dress code. Now, the graduating straight-A senior, Summer, may miss out on her myriad of scholarship opportunities because, well, tyranny. She is also under a 10-day suspension and told she will not be able to attend graduation.

Although she is currently facing down tyranny at her own school, this girl’s response to the situation, her resolve, and courage in the face of injustice gives us hope for the future.

Last Wednesday, Summer donned her pretty new shirt and went to school. However, when the principal saw that she was showing too much collarbone, he stepped in.

As WCNC reports, in the suspension notice from Hickory Ridge High School, the principal and Summer apparently had an interaction where the principal told Summer to cover up with a jacket.  The report states Summer responded with, “I think my shirt is fine”. The principal then told Summer that her lower back was also completely exposed, so she was still not in compliance with dress code. Summer repeats again, “My shirt is fine.”

Although Summer didn’t have a jacket, a friend offered up hers and Summer immediately put it on.

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“I pulled it up, put the jacket over it, zipped up the jacket,” Summer says.

According to summer, the principal then demanded she go to another room to change. But she wondered, why, especially considering she’d already put a jacket on.

“I completely understand why a dress code is put into place but I feel like after I put on that jacket it should have been subdued,” Summer says.

Summer admits that she and the principal have had their issues over the course of her four years at Hickory Ridge. The tension had gotten so bad, that at one point, her mother had to step in and instruct school administrators to call her before taking disciplinary action against Summer. Never the less, Summer maintained a 4.4 honor roll average.

Being the principled young woman that she is, Summer explained that when the principal told her to go and change, she remained in her seat.

“They can’t take me anywhere unless my mother is called,” she says. “So I said ‘I apologize, I can’t go anywhere with you unless my mom is called.”

At this point, the situation escalated when the principal did what so many other schools do across the country — following an ominous trend — and called in the guns.

As WCNC reports, Summer says neither she nor the principal was able to reach her mother. The period ended and Summer accompanied dozens of her friends to the auditorium. Shortly after, she says the principal entered the room and ordered everyone to leave except for Summer.

“[The School Resource Officer] was within five feet of me, he had his hand on his gun. [The principal] said ‘I’m gonna give you an ultimatum. We have tried to call your mother. You either come with me to the control room to change your shirt or we will arrest you.”

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Summer explained that she remained in her seat and tried once more to reach her mom.

Explaining it like a true human rights activist, Summer said, “I stayed in my seat just like a lot of role models that I have looked up to stayed in their seats. I mean, you have to stand up for what you believe in.”

For standing up for her rights, the principal then sicced the cop on Summer. As he moved in to put on the handcuffs, however, her phone rang — it was her mother.

According to WCNC, Summer went to the control room with the school administrators where she was given a 10-day suspension and ordered not to attend any senior activities, including graduation.

“It’s just sad because I worked so hard for four years to walk across that stage,” she says. “We have drug dealers walking across that stage, we have sex offenders walking across that stage and then the 4.4 student who showed her shoulders can’t.”

When Summer’s mother got the note explaining why her daughter had been suspended for 10-days and her scholastic future put in jeopardy, it said her Summer had been suspended for “insubordination.”

Summer said that the principal is still considering expelling this model student too.

“This is my life, I’m on a pre-med track,” she says. “A full ride means so much and that is on the line right now.”