Germany mulls school uniforms, burka
ban
UPI
(08.05.2006) / HRWF (16.05.2006) – Website: http://www.hrwf.org – Email: info@hrwf.net –
A debate over school uniforms is waging in
head-to-toe in burkas.
German Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries spoke out in favor of school
uniforms over the weekend, resulting in heated debate on the issue.
Two 18-year-old students in the former German capital city of Bonn
attended school wearing burkas, black robes that drape the wearer from
head-to-toe, leaving only a small slit for the eyes, for the first
time.
School officials saw the move as a political statement, Deutsche Welle
Online said, and the two were suspended from school.
The burka became well-known in the West after it became mandatory for
Afghan women under the Taliban regime.
In an interview with the Welt am Sonntag weekly about whether veiled
pupils should be allowed to attend class, Zypries said “a simple solution to end
the conflict would be having all students, male or female, wear uniforms to
school. That would not only get rid of burkas, but also clear up problems of
social inequality.”
The Green Party has strongly criticized Zypries for what its members
feel is a policy interfering with religious freedom.
================================================================
To
leave the list, send your request by email to:
wunrn_listserve-request@lists.wunrn.com. Thank you.
Categories: Releases