Kazakhstan announces ban on hijabs in schools

CookieJarObserver, 7 months ago

Good

livus, 7 months ago

I found this quite surprising, does anyone have insight?

livus, 7 months ago

From the article:

According to official figures, almost 70% of Kazakhstan's population practices Islam. But both supporters and opponents of the ban quickly came forward. Proponents stressed that Kazakhstan was a secular country and should therefore avoid privileging any particular religion. Opponents however believe that such restrictions violate the principles of freedom of conscience, and some have taken extreme measures to protest the ban...

Opponents remain unmoved. Flash mobs are being organized on social media, with schoolgirls burning their exercise books and demanding the right to wear Muslim clothing or asking their peers to try on the hijab directly on the street. They stress that they "would not trade their hijab for anything." Leading female public figures have also joined the protest, publishing photos of themselves wearing the hijab on social networks.

Among those who supported the protests is Togjan Qojaly, a member of the Almaty social council who told DW that she believes the ban is illegal...

Akbope Ychylasova, a nurse from Almaty who graduated from the Islamic school in her city's central mosque many years ago, says that according to her observations, women who wear a niqab and veil are very different in character from those who wear a hijab.

"Lately, many girls and women are wearing a niqab and veil. I see them more and more in buses and subways. They don't want to talk to us, they react rudely to our questions and scold us all the time. I doubt that they are real Muslim women. Our teachers at the mosque said that true Islam does not accept hostility, just as it does not accept fanaticism," Ychylasova said, adding that in the past, Kazakh women covered neither their faces nor their hands...

The Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan has proposed a solution. According to the Supreme Mufti of Kazakhstan, Nauryzbay Kazhy Taganuly, girls who want to wear a hijab should be taught in a madrasa, or Muslim educational institution, from the 10th grade onward.

"Such a possibility exists. Religious and secular subjects are taught there in accordance with the Ministry of Education's standard for higher education," the Grand Mufti said. So far, the authorities have not objected to this suggestion, though the ban on wearing the hijab applies to all educational institutions in Kazakhstan without exception

SkyezOpen, 7 months ago

Restricting religious expression is infringing on religious freedom (as oxymoronic as that word may be in this case), so I expect this will give ammunition to the “secularism is a religion” crowd.

I doubt that they are real Muslim women. Our teachers at the mosque said that true Islam does not accept hostility, just as it does not accept fanaticism

Muslims and no true Scotsman. Name a more iconic duo.

Fosheze, 7 months ago

Muslims and no true Scotsman. Name a more iconic duo.

Christians and no true Scotsman? I mean we were doing before Muhammed was born. I was about to say it seems like an Abrahamic religion thing but after thinking about it, I’m pretty sure it’s just a religion thing. Everyone believes that they are practicing their religion the right way and everybody else practicing it differently is doing it wrong.

PugJesus, 7 months ago

It's an orthodoxy thing. Religions which place a high value on personal belief tend to have this problem.

livus, 7 months ago

:-)

Monotheism and no true Scotsman generally, to some degree. Seems to me they're all built on gatekeeping so it goes with the territory.