#1 Australian PM quashes debate on headscarf ban
Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 5:28 am
Thankfully this idea seems to have died the death in its early stages, but I was frankly a little shocked that it was suggested at all and particularly in a way that so obviously targetted Muslim women. I can think of few things more likely to alienate Australia's Muslim community at a time when we are trying to encourage them to engage with mainstream Australian society. "Oh sure, we want to promote a diverse, multi-cultural society. But could you stop being so, you know... different".
Is it just me with my touchy-feely, libertarian sensibilities who finds this so shocking?
Is it just me with my touchy-feely, libertarian sensibilities who finds this so shocking?
>>LINK<<news.com.au wrote:PM quashes debate on headscarves
From: AAP By Sandra O'Malley
August 29, 2005
PRIME Minister John Howard has canned debate by government backbenchers who want Muslim girls banned from wearing headscarves to school, describing the idea as difficult and impractical.
Mr Howard has ruled out a ban on the headdress at public schools, suggested by Victorian Liberal Sophie Panopoulos and taken up enthusiastically by New South Wales backbencher Bronwyn Bishop.
Islamic groups dubbed the proposal dangerous and divisive, coming as it did less than a week after Mr Howard had convened a roundtable of moderate Muslims to work out ways the community could work together to counter the threat posed by extremist clerics.
After staying quiet on the issue in recent days, Mr Howard today sought to quell the growing debate.
"I don't think it's practical to bring in such a prohibition," Mr Howard said.
"If you ban a headscarf you might, for consistency's sake, have to ban a ... turban.
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"It does become rather difficult and rather impractical."
Mr Howard said while he did not believe more extreme forms of dress, including full coverage of the face, was desirable, the headscarf was a practice of many Islamic women, and he did not support a ban.
Multicultural Affairs Minister John Cobb meanwhile described the suggestion of a ban as ignorant.
"Whether a Muslim woman chooses to wear the headscarf in public or not does not diminish her identity as an Australian," he said.
Mr Howard's opposition contrasts with his reluctance to buy into the debate almost three years ago, when conservative NSW MP Fred Nile was pushing for a similar ban.
However, the Australian Greens called Mr Howard's comments against a ban half-hearted, saying they failed to fully endorse religious freedom.
"The right to wear a headscarf is you are a Muslim schoolgirl is surely a matter of cultural and religious freedom, which the Prime Minister appears not to understand," Greens senator Kerry Nettle said.
"Freedom of religion is an Australian value – that is the message John Howard should be sending – not that banning headscarves is simply impractical."
Public schools view the proposal as a non-issue.
Australian Secondary Principals Association president Ted Brierley said schools were responsible for their uniform policies, and the headscarves issue was not a problem for them.
"I'm not aware of any schools that are making this an issue," he said.
Australian Council of State School Organisations chief executive Terry Aulich questioned why such a ban would be introduced.
A French parliament decision to outlaw the wearing of Islamic headscarves in state schools last year had merely forced Muslim communities to look within, Mr Aulich said.
"I think the French did the most stupid thing when they banned headscarves because their public schools had been very, very inclusive," he said.
"Now people are going off into little enclaves, setting up their own little religious schools or ethnic schools.
"We're very much in favour of having a public school system which welcomes everybody rather than driving them into those enclaves."