Morocco: schoolgirls denied entry to school due to their headscarf

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By Omar Bihmidine

Morocco World News

Sidi Ifni, Morocco, April 26, 2013

In an unprecedented move in Morocco, the headmaster of Ibn Sinaa middle school in Tangiers, has allegedly sent several schoolgirls out of school for the simple reason that they were wearing a headscarf.

The incident, which instantly sparked much uproar, pushed many associations to condemn the headmaster’s alleged intolerant act.

In a video posted on YouTube following the incident, the veiled school girls vented their anger, alleging that they “were banned from entering school by their headmaster because of their headscarf”.

“We have not entered school for six days now,” the schoolgirls added.

Taken aback by the news, many Moroccan shared the news on Facebook and expressed their condemnation of the headmaster’s alleged move towards these young schoolgirls.

” We’ve missed many classes for no obvious reason, ” a veiled schoolgirl said on her Facebook account.

While the headmaster has not yet disclosed any motive behind denying the girls their right to enter school, many Moroccan Facebookers agree that there is no excuse that can justify the act, particularly that wearing the veil is part of Islam, the official religion of Morocco.

“The reasons behind this do not seem to be logical”, Baba Louay, a blogger from Rabat, told Morocco World News.

“Why did he ban them now and not before,” he wondered.

“If other girls have the right to wear pantaloons by virtue of their right to freedom of expression, those girls have the right to wear Hijab by virtue of their right to freedom of religion, especially since we live in Muslim country,” said for his part Ahmed Sefrioui, a PhD candidate from Fez.

The schoolgirls called on the Ministry of Education and other associations to defend their inalienable right to wear the headscarf and to be allowed access to school.