In show of solidarity with Muslims, female students at Cleveland State University to wear Muslim headscarves in support of freedom of religion
(Cleveland, OH 3/11/04) – The Muslim Student Association of Cleveland State University will hold a “Scarves for Unity” event today in which non-Muslim female students at Cleveland State will wear hijabs (headscarves) in a show of solidarity with Muslims in the United States and around the world. The event will consist of a panel discussion on the significance of the hijab (headscarf) for Muslim women, as well as the impact of recent legislation passed in France to ban outward religious displays in public schools. A question-and-answer session will follow.
When: TODAY! Thursday, March 11, 2004
Time: 5:00 pm-7:00 pm
Where: Cleveland State University; University Center, 364
This event has been organized, in part, as a response to the recent 276-20 vote in the French Senate to support legislation that will ban Islamic headscarves from all public schools in France starting next fall. The National Assembly of France had previously voted 494-36 to support the ban. Now all that is left is for French President Chirac to sign the bill into law.
The law forbids religious apparel and signs that clearly show a person’s religious affiliation. Jewish skullcaps and large Christian crosses would also be banned. However, authorities have admitted that the aim of the legislation is to remove Islamic headscarves from classes.
Recently, here in the US, in response to requests by many concerned Muslims and civil rights and religious groups, the Alabama Department of Public Safety lifted its policy of banning all head coverings in driver’s license photographs. Prior to this, many Muslim women had allegedly been unable to get driver’s licenses in the state because they refused to take off their religiously-mandated scarves.
“The event at Cleveland State is important because it shows that people do care about religious freedom in this country,” said Isam Zaiem, Chairman of the Cleveland office of CAIR-OHIO. “When the religious expression of minority groups is preserved everyone benefits.”
“The direction the French have taken to promote unity and downplay sectarianism may instead lead to more divisions,” said Julia Shearson, Director of the Cleveland office of CAIR. “Americans won’t tolerate such a ban on religious freedom. We cherish diversity and understand the value of religion and spiritual expression. The framers of our Constitution did not set out to ban religion from public life, so neither should we.”
Contact: CAIR-OHIO, Cleveland Office, Julia A. Shearson, Director, 216.440.2247 (CAIR)
CAIR, America’s largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered in Washington D.C., and has 25 regional offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
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