Steve Jamar
On Thursday, March 3, 2005, at 02:16 PM, Rick Duncan wrote:
One problem with the uniform policy is that it does accommodate some religious students, but not others. Here is the New York Times report: "In contrast to French state schools, where students are prohibited from wearing head scarves, Denbigh allows girls a choice: wearing standard pants or skirts, or dressing in a shalwar kameez, a traditional Muslim outfit consisting of pants covered by a tunic. Head scarves are allowed if they meet certain criteria."--
But they don't allow the "jilwab," apparently because it is regarded as being associated with Muslim "extremism." This looks like denominational discrimination to me. "Moderate" Muslims are allowed to wear the "shalwar kameez," but "extremist" Muslims are not allowed to wear the jilwab.
I know almost nothing about European law (except that which has crept into U.S. Supreme Court opinions), but it seems to me that under any kind of religious liberty/religious equality protection denominational discrimination such as this should be troublesome. No?
Rick Duncan
Prof. Steven D. Jamar vox: 202-806-8017
Howard University School of Law fax: 202-806-8428
2900 Van Ness Street NW mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Washington, DC 20008 http://www.law.howard.edu/faculty/pages/jamar
"Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think."
- Martin Luther King Jr., "Strength to Love", 1963
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