Friday, July 13, 2007

Tajikistan: No hijab for you sister. Not if you want to go to college.

Court does not permit a Moslem girl to wear hijab to the college

"I'm not through with them yet!" she vows.

BBC reported the lawsuit filed by Davlatimo Ismailova against the Tajik Ministry of Education and her college administration dismissed. Administration of the Foreign Languages College in Dushanbe does not permit Ismailova to wear hijab, the traditional Moslem scarf.

The plaintiff told judges that the ban on hijabs encroaches on her freedom to worship.

"The case is dismissed because the plaintiff failed to present any evidence," Reuters quoted Judge Abdullo Rahmatov as saying. "The Ministry of Education bases its instructions on the accepted educational norms and standards."

"I was expecting it. All the same, I'm not through with them yet. I will complain to the municipal court first and to the Supreme Court after that. If it comes to that, I'll appeal to international courts," Ismailova told BBC.


(The hijab is banned at state, secular, and educational establishments. )

"This decision is illegitimate because it collides with the constitution which allows citizens of Tajikistan to wear whatever takes their fancy," Kudratov said.

Minister of Education Abdujabbor Rahmonov never doubted the verdict would be favorable. He views hijab wearers as promoters of religious ideas.

Ismailova in the meantime is told to stay away from the college as long as she wears hijab.

buh-bye.