The Hardships Faced by Girls Wearing a Hijab – A Discussion
On the 10th of February 2018, Saturday, a workshop was held in Leyton in order to discuss the challenges that are faced by wearing a hijab to school. The workshop started at 2pm sharp and ended at 4pm. In those two hours, a range of topics were discussed, starting from the basics of what a hijab actually is to the pressures that can be encountered b wearing it at school.
There were 3 different types of workshops in total: one for adults, one for children aged 5-11 years old and finally, one for teenagers above 12. In the children’s workshop, the topic of discussion was”what is hijab for boys and girls” whereas for the teenagers, it was about the struggles for young girls wearing hijabs. Light refreshments were also provided during the discussion.
The main purpose of the workshop was to address the announcement made in November, 2017, that school inspectors in England were to ask Muslim girls in primary school about the article covering their hair; was it a hijab or a headscarf?
Most Islamic teachings state that the hijab is for girls who are on the brink of puberty rather than young primary girls. Amanda Spielman, the head of Ofsted and the chief inspector of schools, declared that girls of ages 4 to 5 wearing a hijab “could be interpreted as sexualisation.”
Thus, the workshop aimed to peacefully tackle the rights and wrongs of the situation and how to respond to it whilst still maintain the Islamic identity of the children.
