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Abdul Mukith - hijab campaigner
Girls’ hijab rally
26/ 3/2004
YOUNG Muslims in Oldham have founded their own organisation to
defend their religious culture and practices.
The plan outdoor and indoor meetings and classes with the aim of
deepening the understanding of Islam among youth in the town.
One of their first rallies was held near Grange High School, where
over 90 per cent of the intake is Asian.
The specific target of the outdoor rally were female pupils.
Speakers told of the attempt by the French government to outlaw the
wearing of religious clothing and symbols in schools including the
hijab - a move which has provoked demonstration of Muslims in
France and other countries.
Young Muslim organiser Abdul Mukith told a gathering teenage
schoolgirls and boys that they should send protest letters and
petitions to the French embassy in London opposing the ban.
He said: "Muslim brother and sisters have the right to express
their religious beliefs and we must show the French government that
Muslims in the UK will not stand by and let them get away with what
is clearly a case of Islamaphobia.
"The hijab is worn to cover a woman's modesty and nobody should
take that right away from her. People all over the world have been
protesting against this and we in Oldham must do the same and show
our support to our Muslim sisters in France."
The French government gave the go-ahead earlier this year for a new
law that would ban all religious symbols from state schools,
including the Muslim headscarf or hijab.
The law would also ban the wearing of the Jewish skullcap (kippah),
big crucifixes worn by Christians and the Sikh turban.
French president, Jacques Chirac, has said the ban is necessary to
preserve the principle of secularity in French education.
Grange pupils Salma Begum, aged 15, and 14-year-old Sadia Begum
attended the meeting.
They said afterwards that they felt sad that France did not respect
people's rights to express their religious beliefs.
"I wear the hijab and if somebody came up to me and said that I
could not wear it to school I'd be very offended and would ignore
them.
"Hearing about countries like France makes me feel proud to live in
Britain as it's a much better and tolerant country where you can
wear the hijab to school and work without objection from the
authorities," said Salma.
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