Clothing
Sweden’s first MP in a hijab challenges swing to the right (LINK ONLY)
Eye on Islamism is no longer printing excerpts from articles published by certain news sources. To read the original article, click here.
Head Covering
Clothing
Supreme Court won’t hear appeal from Quebec judge over hijab disciplinary probe Judge refused to hear a routine traffic matter unless woman removed her hijab
(CBC) A Quebec judge has failed in her bid to halt disciplinary proceedings against her after she refused to hear the case of a woman wearing a hijab. In February 2015, Quebec court Judge Eliana Marengo refused to hear a routine traffic […]
Clothing
Québec Solidaire divided on secularism at national council Party at odds over whether to share CAQ's stance on banning religious symbols for all public servants
(CBC) At the Québec Solidaire national council this weekend in Montreal, two camps emerged on the issue of religious symbols: one of secularism and one of inclusion. While the party already supports the banning of religious symbols worn by police officers, judges, […]
Christians
Ilhan Omar responds to conservative pastor over Muslim comments: ‘You’re gonna have to just deal’
(Hill) Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), one of the first two Muslim women elected to serve in Congress, on Friday fired back at the conservative pastor who complained that [the] floor of the Congress will “look like an Islamic republic.” “Well sir, the […]
Christians
Conservative pastor: ‘The floor of Congress is now going to look like an Islamic republic’
(Hill) Conservative pastor commentator E.W. Jackson went on an anti-Islamic tirade on his radio show Wednesday, complaining that Muslims are taking over Congress. Jackson’s remarks were in response to reports that Democrats are attempting to change a rule banning headwear on the floor […]
Academics & Education
Aspiring teacher may leave Quebec if CAQ follows through on religious symbol ban New poll suggests Quebecers support ban on religious symbols for civil servants, including teachers
(CBC) Fatima Ahmad has been dreaming about becoming a teacher since she was a little girl. At age six, she wrote down the aspiration in her diary, along with two other options: doctor and artist. Ultimately, she chose teaching. “I love kids, […]
Academics & Education
Nearly two-thirds of Quebecers support public-sector ban on religious symbols, poll finds But when asked detailed questions about how to apply the ban, public opinion is more divided
(CBC) Most Quebecers are in favour of banning public-sector workers from wearing religious symbols, according to a CROP poll released ahead of the first legislative session under a Coalition Avenir Québec government. But a separate survey by Vox Pop Labs, conducted following […]
Academics & Education
German girls volunteer to wear Islamic headscarves in school ‘discrimination experiment’
(Breitbart) Six non-Muslim German girls volunteered for a “discrimination experiment” at their school to test whether they felt discriminated against for wearing an Islamic headscarf. The experiment last week saw the volunteers don the hijab as part of an assignment by their teacher […]
Academics & Education
Austria prepares for headscarf ban in primary schools If draft law passes parliament, children under 10 will be prohibited to wear headscarf, violations will be fined
(Anadolu) Austria’s far-right government has introduced a draft law to the parliament to ban the headscarf in primary schools, planning to implement it without the support of the opposition. Transport Minister Norber Hofer told a news conference following the Council of Ministers […]
Clothing
German state plans to ban religious symbols from courts The state government of Lower Saxony is drafting a law that would ban judges and prosecutors from wearing religious clothing or symbols. Germany's justice minister has welcomed the plans.
(Deutsche Welle) The government of Germany’s state of Lower Saxony plans to ban … judges and prosecutors from wearing religious symbols such as crosses or headscarves in the state’s courtrooms. Promoters of the measure say it is aimed at making clear that judges […]
Banks & Banking
What Philly banks can and can’t say about removing head coverings Signage at one local institution could be interpreted as discriminatory.
(Billy Penn) For some businesses, maintaining both security and inclusive policy can be a delicate balance. The Tioga-Franklin Savings Bank on Girard Avenue near Oxford displays signs that ask customers to remove “all head coverings and sunglasses prior to entering the bank.” […]
Children & Teens
French MP proposes Muslims adopt French names to become citizens, extend ban on Islamic headscarves
(Breitbart) French conservative Republican MP Julien Aubert has put his name behind a series of migrant integration proposals that would include banning the Islamic headscarf in public institutions and make Muslims adopt French names to become citizens. The proposals come from a new […]
Burkini
Burkinis, On Fleek abayas, Scout hoodies and more at the de Young’s ‘Contemporary Muslim Fashions’ exhibition
(LA Times) San Francisco’s De Young Museum is currently home to the first major U.S. museum exhibition exploring Muslim modest fashion. Organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, “Contemporary Muslim Fashions” examines the nuanced, complex and diverse world of Muslim […]
Clothing
House finally lifting hat ban after 181 years
(NY Post) It’s taken 181 years, but the House of Representatives is finally getting around to changing a rule that bans hats on the floor. The ban was enacted in 1837 by members who wanted to break from the hat-wearing tradition in […]
Clothing
Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar are the first Muslim women elected to Congress Tlaib, from Michigan, won earlier in the evening; Omar, from Minnesota, will be the first headscarf-wearing member of Congress.
(BuzzFeed) Even with the outcome expected, there was a sense of history-making when it became official Tuesday night: A Muslim woman was elected to Congress for the first time. Michigan Democrat Rashida Tlaib, 42, won her election after running unopposed by a […]
Academics & Education
German public schools are teaching Islam to students who are not sure if they belong
(Washington Post) It was the second week of Islam class, and the teacher, Mansur Seddiqzai, stood in front of a roomful of Muslim teens and pointed to the sentence on the chalkboard behind him: “Islam does not belong to Germany.” He scanned […]
Clothing
Debate over sex work, Islamic head scarf divides Quebec women’s federation
(Canadian Press) Members of Quebec’s most prominent women’s group are divided over whether to acknowledge prostitution as a freely chosen career and whether to support all Muslim female public servants who choose to wear a hijab at work. About 150 representatives from Quebec’s […]
Clothing
Algerian-born French right-winger denounces hate campaign
(Radio France) An Algerian-born spokeswoman for France’s mainstream-right Republicans has said she has been the victim of death threats and vicious messages by radical Islamists in an article published after a man was found guilty of hate speech in tweets to her […]
Academics & Education
Austria launches kindergarten Islamic headscarf ban, considers adding elementary schools
(Breitbart) The Austrian government has enacted a headscarf ban in kindergartens across the country and is now considering widening the ban to include elementary schools. The conservative-populist government enacted the headscarf ban for kindergartens on Wednesday which will mean that children will […]
Clothing
Connecticut woman says McDonald’s barred her from wearing hijab to work Restaurant owner, a Muslim, disputes charges
(Hartford Courant) A Connecticut woman has lodged a discrimination complaint against a Middletown McDonald’s, alleging she was barred from wearing a hijab at work — a violation of her “sincerely-held religious beliefs,” she said, along with federal and state civil rights protections. […]
Clothing
Quebec wants to expand religious symbol ban, blocking Muslim garments in civil service Coalition Avenir Québec immigration minister plans to 'move quickly' on secularism law
(CBC) Quebec’s new government is planning to block Muslim women who work in the civil service from wearing the chador, a shawl-like piece of clothing that covers the head and body, and the niqab, which also covers the face. Coalition Avenir Québec […]
Academics & Education
Westmount High teachers protest CAQ’s religious-garb ‘slippery slope’ 'What I look like has no affect on my teaching whatsoever. … You start with one exclusion and it’s a slippery slope downward.'
(Montreal Gazette) Teachers at Westmount High School took to the street Thursday to protest the incoming Coalition Avenir Québec’s proposed religious neutrality laws, on the day the new government was officially sworn in. The English Montreal School Board, which represents more than […]
Academics & Education
Charles Taylor slams CAQ plan to ban religious symbols for some civil servants Co-author of Bouchard-Taylor report calls CAQ plan 'ridiculous,' 'dishonest' and 'a lot of blather'
(CBC) Philosopher Charles Taylor says the new CAQ government “doesn’t get the point” of the report he co-authored that’s been frequently cited by the CAQ as justification for its controversial plan to ban the wearing of religious symbols by some civil servants. […]
Academics & Education
Westmount High teachers to rally against CAQ religious symbols ban Protest 'to send a clear message to the new government' is set for Thursday morning in front of the school.
(Montreal Gazette) Four years after staging protests against the Parti Québécois’s proposed charter of values, teachers at Westmount High School are planning to rally against the Coalition Avenir Québec plan to bar public servants in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols. […]
Academics & Education
‘It’s part of who I am’: Proposed Quebec law could push hijab-wearers out of jobs (LINK ONLY)
Eye on Islamism is no longer printing excerpts from articles published by certain news sources. To read the original article, click here.
Academics & Education
Marks and Spencer criticised for selling school hijabs for three-year-olds
(LBC) Maajid Nawaz has criticised Marks and Spencer for selling school uniform hijabs for children as young as three. The LBC presenter labelled the store’s decision to sell the headscarf, which is listed in the “essential” school section, as “facilitating medievalism.” Maajid […]
Clothing
ACLU warns Hawaii officials after Muslim woman told to remove hijab for driver’s license photo
(Honolulu Star-Advertiser) Laycie Tobosa spent months convincing drivers’ license officials in Hilo that she was not required to remove her traditional Muslim head scarf — or hijab — to pose for a photo for her new driver’s license, which she eventually received. […]
Academics & Education
New Quebec government open to allowing existing teachers who wear religious symbols to keep their jobs But Coalition Avenir Québec has no intention of removing crucifix from National Assembly, spokesperson says
(CBC) After a week of controversy, Quebec’s incoming Coalition Avenir Québec government is opening the door a crack to compromise on its plan to ban some civil servants from wearing religious symbols. The CAQ said last week it would be prepared to fire teachers who refuse to […]
Academics & Education
‘What are you afraid of?’: Quebec teachers decry proposed religious symbol ban
(Canadian Press) Amrit Kaur’s turban never leaves her body, no matter what she does. The 27-year-old student teacher from Vaudreuil-Dorion, west of Montreal, has even figured out a way to shower with it on, by tying it around her waist while she washes her hair. […]
Clothing
Chrétien predicts common sense will prevail in Quebec debate over religious symbols
(Canadian Press) Jean Chrétien says Quebec’s political class is “trapped” in a pointless debate over a non-existent problem: how to accommodate religious minorities. And the former prime minister predicts the furor over whether public servants should be banned from wearing religious symbols […]
Clothing
Female Islamic preacher slams Muslim women for wearing ‘sexualised’ designer hijabs to look pretty (LINK ONLY)
Eye on Islamism is no longer printing excerpts from articles published by certain news sources. To read the original article, click here.
Clothing
Montreal protesters march to protest racism, denounce new government
(Canadian Press) A diverse crowd of protesters took to the streets of Montreal on Sunday to march against racism and denounce the newly elected Coalition Avenir Quebec government. Muslim families pushing strollers, Indigenous community leaders, masked anti-capitalist activists and members of some 50 community […]
Academics & Education
Controversy over Wheaton professor’s hijab captures evangelical rift in new film
(Religion News) Larycia Hawkins never questioned what she should do. It was days after the 2015 San Bernardino shooting, in which 14 people were killed at a center for people with developmental disabilities. Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump seized upon the religion of the […]
Clothing
Quebec’s highest court rules woman wearing hijab was entitled to be heard
(Canadian Press) A Montreal woman who was scolded by a judge for wearing a hijab in court had her fundamental rights violated, Quebec’s Court of Appeal ruled Wednesday. The court decided unanimously that citizens who wear religious attire cannot be denied access to justice. The ruling stems from a […]
Clothing
French and values tests not the way to integrate newcomers, Quebec immigrants say Premier-designate confirms plan to cut immigration 20% next year
(CBC) Newcomers to Quebec and their advocates say the premier-designate is taking the wrong approach to integrating immigrants, after François Legault said he will proceed next year with Coalition Avenir Québec’s plan to cut immigration levels by 20 per cent. At his first news conference as incoming premier, Legault confirmed […]
Clothing
François Legault would invoke notwithstanding clause to ban hijabs from civil service Coalition Avenir Québec leader lays out priorities for new majority government
(CBC) Quebec’s premier-designate says he is prepared to invoke the notwithstanding clause to enforce a prohibition on any public employee from wearing a religious symbol such as a hijab or kippa in the workplace. François Legault would also move swiftly to reduce […]
Clothing
Settlement agreement in hijab lawsuit reached, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office says
(Ventura County Star) Settlement terms have been reached in a federal lawsuit against the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office concerning a Muslim woman whose head scarf was removed while she was in custody, officials announced Monday. The civil rights lawsuit concerns Newbury Park resident Jennifer Hyatt, […]
Clothing
Running for office, Muslim women hope voters will see more than faith and gender
(MPR) When President Trump first announced restrictions on travelers from Muslim countries, Fardousa Jama attended a rally at a Mankato coffee shop. She was there with other community activists who were trying to come up with a way to respond to the […]
Clothing
San Francisco museum shows off modern Muslim women’s fashion
(AP) The head covering is among the most identifiable elements of Muslim women’s dress and most likely to be portrayed as drab and restrictive to the Western eye. But a new exhibition in San Francisco shows that the covering used by some […]
Banks & Banking
Austrian police hunt cross-dressing, hijab-clad bank robber
(AP) Police in Austria are on the lookout for a tall man who robbed a bank disguised with a latex mask, glasses, bright red lipstick and an Islamic-style headscarf. Vienna police said Wednesday the suspect robbed a bank in Linz at the […]
Clothing
European rights court slams Belgium on headscarf issue European Human Rights Court rules that excluding woman from courtroom for refusing to remove headscarf is a violation
(Anadolu) The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday convicted Belgian authorities for violating the EU Convention on Human Rights by excluding a Muslim woman from a courtroom for refusing to remove her headscarf. In 2007, the applicant, referred to by the […]
Clothing
Most Western Europeans favor at least some restrictions on Muslim women’s religious clothing
(Pew) A Danish law that took effect in August makes it illegal for Muslim women to wear face-covering veils — such as burqas or niqabs — in public. Austria, Belgium and France, as well as parts of Italy and Spain, have enacted […]
Clothing
New West Yorkshire Police uniform designed for Muslim women (LINK ONLY)
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Academics & Education
Austrians react to government’s headscarf plan Activists in Austria speak out against draft plan to ban headscarf for students and teachers at schools
(Anadolu) Austrians have reacted to a plan by the education minister to expand the headscarf ban for students and teachers to secondary schools. Education Minister Heinz Fassmann said on Monday that the issue should be discussed throughout the country, especially in the […]
Clothing
Guard called Muslim headscarf a ‘rag,’ Kansas prison discriminates, rights group says
(Kansas City Star) A civil rights group said Wednesday that a Muslim woman is facing religious discrimination at a privately run prison in Leavenworth. The prisoner, Valeriece Ealom, has complained that staff at the Leavenworth Detention Center have repeatedly disparaged her wearing […]
Academics & Education
Austria mulls to expand headscarf ban in schools People on public duty should not use religious, ideological symbols on duty, says Austria's education minister
(Anadolu) Expanding the range of headscarf bans for students and teachers in secondary school should be discussed throughout the country, especially in parliament, Austria’s education minister said on Monday. Speaking at Austrian state television ORF on a draft law to ban Muslim […]
Academics & Education
Cantonal initiative to ban headgear in schools ruled invalid
(Swiss Info) The Federal Court says that an initiative by the conservative right Swiss People’s Party to ban head coverings in schools in the southern canton of Valais is invalid. It confirms the decision taken by the Valais parliament. The People’s Party […]
Apostasy
ISNA convention uses shame, fear to stir Muslims politically
(IPT) In a year in which Muslim political candidates are breaking new ground or falling just short, it’s not surprising to see politics dominate the country’s largest annual gathering of Muslim Americans. But the political sessions at the annual Islamic Society of […]
Children & Teens
Muslim Iowa girls are offered sports hijabs to encourage activity
(Radio Iowa) An eastern Iowa non-profit group is offering sports hijabs to help Muslim girls stay active. Starting this fall, the organization Girls On The Run will supply the athletic versions of the Muslim headscarf to girls who request them. Executive director […]
Academics & Education
Demir: Headscarf has no place in schools
(Brussels Times) The hijab — the headscarf worn by Muslim women as the minimum form of coverage — should be the subject of a ban in schools under the next legislature, according to federal secretary of state Zuhal Demir. “The headscarf has […]