‘As the new school year gets under way, several Muslim girls in southern Kyrgyzstan have been excluded for wearing headscarves, and more are considering dropping out if the ban continues to be enforced.
‘The extent to which the headscarf ban is official remains unclear, but schools are citing new guidelines instructing them to interpret and enforce the school dress code more strictly.
‘In the past, schools have tolerated girls wearing Muslim-style headscarves, but now many are insisting that the costume does not count as part of the prescribed uniform and anyone who flouts the rules will be excluded.
‘The parents of devout Muslim schoolgirls have protested at the new rules, saying they should be allowed to adopt “hijab” or Islamic dress under the constitutional right to religious freedom. (more…)
