Sakeenah and Bilaal enrolled as new students at the High School last Wednesday when teachers asked them during the course of the day to take off their headscarf and Islamic hat. Sakeenah refused and the school called their parents.
“At the time of an interview last year, the school said they may wear headgear as long as it's in the colors of the school uniform," said their mother, Nabila Dramat.
"The teacher also said in the interview they may go to mosque on Friday. I have chosen this school because it is a very strong school academically, and much closer than the one where they were previously. Sakeenah wants to study medicine after matric and education is important to us. My children are humiliated and traumatized,” added Mrs. Dramat
Sakeenah explains how a teacher asked her if she does not get hot wearing the headscarf. "I said, ‘No, because I'm used to it. Later another one (teacher) called me and was taken to another classroom. There they told me that I should remove the headscarf because it is not part of the school uniform. I refused and asked them to contact my parents.”
Bilaal, who suffers a nervous disease, said, "I did not want trouble and just took off my hat.”
According to Mrs. Dramat she and her husband Adam had a meeting with the principle of the school Mr. Wilfred Taylor, who refused to let the students in the school if they wore the headscarf and Islamic hat as part of the uniform. She approached the Western Cape education department's district office, who recommended that she take the children to Sunday school.
"I stayed in the car and saw how the principal took Bilal out of the line. This is absolute nonsense; my children are now five days at home without going to school.” Mrs. Dramat has lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission, which is currently investigating the matter.
Attempts to get comments from the principle proved unsuccessful. The chairman of the school's governing body, Pearl Erasmus has no knowledge of the incident yesterday and would not comment. – Die Burger
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