Menu

Argument: Banning head scarves upholds equal treatment and opportunity

Issue Report: Banning Muslim hijab

Support

Leslie Cannold. “For equality, ban the hijab in public schools”. The Age. August 31, 2005 – “But arguably what matters most in assessing the need for an Australian ban is the way Australian Muslims and non-Muslims understand the hijab. My impression is that, rightly or wrongly, many Australians see the scarf as a symbol of the gender-based oppression women suffer in many non-Western countries, and thus a challenge to the credo of gender equity preached and largely practised in Australian public schools.

Because equality of people and of opportunity is a critical value that Australian schools must — and must be seen to — uphold, the wearing of the hijab in public schools must be banned. At the same time, as per the original advice the French Government received on banning conspicuous religious symbols in schools, Jewish and Muslim holy days should join Christmas and Easter as official school holidays.”