A Moroccan trainee teacher has been denied a job in Italy because school authorities feared her headscarf might scare children, local media reported. “(Children) might have been scared and it was better not to run that risk,” official Christina Ferrari said.
Fatima Mouayche, a 40-year-old mother of two, had been assigned to the job in northern Samone after completing a course for nursery teachers. She said her headscarf was an excuse for the school to exclude Muslims.
But Ms Ferrari denied their decision had anything to do with Islam, according to Italy’s La Stampa and La Repubblica newspapers.
“No-one can say how the children would have reacted (to the headscarf),” she was quoted as saying.
Ms Mouayche said she was not convinced.
“My children grew up seeing my headscarf and they are not afraid,” she told reporters.
“(The authorities) don’t want a Muslim woman working at the nursery.”
Ms Mouayche said she had never encountered any criticism for wearing the headscarf since she settled in Italy eight years ago.
An estimated 800,000 Muslims live in Italy.
Europe-wide concerns
The incident comes in the wake of heated arguments on the issue in other European countries.
The French Senate approved legislation banning overt religious symbols - including headscarves - from schools on 3 March.
The bill is now waiting for a final approval from President Jacques Chirac.
In Germany, the supreme court ruled in September that a school was wrong to exclude Muslim teacher Fereshta Ludin because of her headscarf, since there was no law against it.
Several German states are now considering bills to stop teachers wearing the veil.
Comment:
The west is ashamed and scared to admit that it has lost the intellectual battle of ides to convince the muslims of secularism and is using pathetic and silly excuses to justify preventing muslim women from participating in public life. How can a peice of cloth be frightening to children, especially when they watch so much sex and violence which is now being shown in the western media at all hours?
The battle of ideas between Islam and Secularism will continue and muslms living in Europe will never cower and compromise like we see the muslims in America doing, who have now become more American than Apple pie and have started to move away from the teachings of their lord and to follow the ways of Bush and co.
why don't Muslims living in Europe leave the godforsaken evil Western places and go to the beautiful Muslim nations like Saudi Arabia.. i'm sure they'll be very welcome there.
At least they will know where they stand in Saudi.
Here it seems to be 'yep your'e alright for a Muslim, cuz you're not like the other billion plus, it's the other Muslims we hate. You know, the ones with the beards and scarves!
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by PakistaniAbroad: *
why don't Muslims living in Europe leave the godforsaken evil Western places and go to the beautiful Muslim nations like Saudi Arabia.. i'm sure they'll be very welcome there.
[/QUOTE]
^so predictable so shallow
How about actually arguing the question of the so called democratic system and freedoms that is applied to certain people and not applied on others this is what the thread is about.
using the old go away and live in saudi arabia is just like saying i am not even debating the issue and avoiding the obvious valid questions asked!
Being scared of a piece of cloth that has got to be the lamest excuse since they said we invading iraq because it has got WMD's
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by PakistaniAbroad: *
why don't Muslims living in Europe leave the godforsaken evil Western places and go to the beautiful Muslim nations like Saudi Arabia.. i'm sure they'll be very welcome there.
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ak47: *
How about actually arguing the question of the so called democratic system and freedoms that is applied to certain people and not applied on others this is what the thread is about.
[/quote]
freedoms in a democracy are not a 'free-for-all'.. they come with the responsibility of respecting the wishes of the majority.. like it or not.
What I fail to get is that if the West has lost it's battles against 'mighty' Muslims how come Muslims are lined up outside 'Western' embassies and are willing to sell their soul to get an entry into these lands?? WHY??
freedoms in a democracy are not a 'free-for-all'.. they come with the responsibility of respecting the wishes of the majority.. like it or not.
What I fail to get is that if the West has lost it's battles against 'mighty' Muslims how come Muslims are lined up outside 'Western' embassies and are willing to sell their soul to get an entry into these lands?? WHY??
[/QUOTE]
Ok... now fast forward to 2004.... West has lost it's battles against 'mighty' Muslims .... what the hec are you talking about?
Reason for long lines, economic reasons for the most part (not the only reason).... if you take away my resources by force or deceit I will be knocking on your door to get some back to support my family and myself and if I had the "might" I will break your door and take it away.
[QUOTE] Originally posted by ChaChoo: *
Ok... now fast forward to 2004.... **West has lost it's battles against 'mighty' Muslims* .... what the hec are you talking about?
[/quote]
that's not mine.. read the thread originator's comments.
[quote]
if you take away my resources by force or deceit I will be knocking on your door to get some back to support my family and myself and if I had the "might" I will break your door and take it away.
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by force or deceit?? I think the darlings of Muslims the Saudis are willingly pumping oil to sell.. they build their palaces and fleets of german cars and don't seem to complain.. I wonder why everyone has to blame the 'West' for it's success.. rather than look inwards for their failures..
When you knock at someone's door and they are kind enough to let you in.. show some gratitude instead of arrogance of somehow 'deserving' to be taken in.
The "West" still has more religious freedoms than all of the 'Muslim' nations combined.