London
British school principals may ban religious dress, including the Muslim veil, from the classroom at their discretion, the Education Ministry said this week. While schools should still “make every effort to accommodate social, religious, or medical requirements of individual pupils,” said Schools Minister Jim Knight, “the needs of safety, security, and effective learning in the school must always take precedence.” The ministry announced new school uniform guidelines to clarify the rules after a 12-year-old girl lost a legal battle to wear a full-face veil last month. British Muslims were divided on the new setup. Tahir Alam of the Muslim Council of Britain said letting principals decide uniform policy was appropriate. But Massoud Shadjareh of the Islamic Human Rights Commission said he was “shocked” and “dismayed.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Bob Woodward's War: the explosive Trump revelationsIn the spotlight Nobody can beat Watergate veteran at 'getting the story of the White House from the inside'
-
Keir Starmer's first 100 days: how did they go?Today's big question Honeymoon period dominated by rows over gifts and infighting but there are 'signs of a progressive philosophy emerging'
-
The Week Unwrapped: Are pig-butchering scams taking over the world?Podcast Plus, could discarded gadgets solve the copper shortage? And will employers hire more over-50s?
