The Islamic Veil in Schools
19/01/2016
There have been calls recently for Muslim children to remove their veils in school.
I think this is a question of how you see things. Muslim veils are part of a diverse global reality. Some people believe this is necessary to worship G-d and also that this law is global; it applies wherever in the world they happen to be because their duty to G-d surpasses all other duties. Islam is the second largest religion in the world.
Sometimes we can find ourselves following traditions that are not really what G-d requires. However, the veil is mentioned in the Qur'an itself (Surah 24:30-31 and Surah 33:59). Whether these passages mean the veil should be worn in the way it currently is, is a legitimate question for religious debate. But I think forcing school children to remove them without having these debates is harmful developmentally.