New Zealand School Bans Muslim Students From Wearing Hijab

A private school in New Zealand recently become the center of controversy after banning hijabs among their Muslim students. According to reports, the Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland has allegedly told Muslim pupils that wearing headscarves a not allowed.

Heather McRae, principal of the school, had to. Issue a statement wherein she clarified that while the school celebrated diversity, their policy on uniforms “create a sense of oneness and family” and “ensure the Diocesan identity is upheld.”

So yes, no policy changes will be implemented anytime soon, confirmed the principal. In fact, she pointed out that she expects the school staff to be firm in implementing the rules.

McRae added:

“No wearing of jewelry or nail polish, skirt length, a requirement to tie back long hair and wear the school blazer outside school grounds, shoe styles and so on.

“All parents sign up to the uniform policies when they join the school.”

Meanwhile, a staff member of the school (who refused to be identified) shared that two inquiring Muslim girls were told that wearing hijab was against existing school policy. The teacher also said, “there was just silence [by the teachers]. I got the feeling that people were shocked this was a thing.”

Netizens have since been divided about their opinions on the subject since the story went viral on social media.

Eventually, a school spokeswoman issued a statement to address the issue, saying:

“The hijab has never been banned at Diocesan. It is simply not part of the long standing school uniform code and there has never been a formal request from a family to have changes made to include it.”

According to a New Zealand Herald report, the ban on hijabs may be a possible violation of the Human Rights Act and the New Zealand Bill of Rights.