Headscarf girl barred from school

Headscarf girl barred from school

SINGAPORE: An 11-year-old Singaporean girl was told to leave school and could face suspension for defying a ban on wearing traditional Islamic headscarves, the government said on Thursday.

Accompanied by her parents on the first day of school, Norashikin Azhar was sent home 20 minutes after arriving because she wore the headscarf, called tudung or hijab in the city-state.

Last year, four schoolgirls were ordered to stop wearing the headscarf or face suspension. Three have stopped attending Singaporean public schools, while the fourth has returned without a scarf.

Norashikin's father, Azhar Ali, said that he might sue the government for denying his daughter the right to wear the headscarf. --AP