Religious symbolism - Hijab does not threaten our culture

AS THE recent RTÉ series on Cromwell reminded us, religious intolerance and persecution have left a deep and lasting impact, an all but indelible one really, on the way we view our world.

It may also have coloured our view of some of those who would wish to share it.

Religious division and oppression shaped the demographics of this country in a way few other forces could have. We, of nearly all societies, should remember the great injustices imposed on families for no reason other than the faith they chose to follow was not that of the dominant group of the day. The legacy of those ancient hatreds is a deep and resilient suspicion of religious zealotry or intolerance of any kind. We have seen far too much blood spilt over church-or-chapel divisions. As even the most recent manifestations of religious hatred — the Garvaghy Road stand-offs and children needing police protection to get to school in Belfast — begin to fade we face a new set of challenges brought by immigration.

We, just like the rest of Europe, will be tested to see if the old lessons, forced on us by intolerance and tribal hatreds, have been really learned.

A small milestone in that evolution was passed yesterday when the Department of Education issued “uniform guidelines”. These guidelines discouraged the wearing of veils, which cover the face during classes.

However, the question of what can or can not be worn by students has been left open to each of the country’s 4,000 schools.

Each school community is to decide whether a pupil may or may not wear the hijab to school. The freedom implicit in that openness would be easier to celebrate if the ministers also said they would defend and support every school no matter what it decides; whether they allow religious symbolism or not.

There has been a great deal of debate about girls wearing the hijab to school, much of which would be rendered redundant if boys wore it too. To western eyes it represents the suppression of women and it is because of this that some opposition to it is so animated, not for any religious reason.

Welcoming a young girl who chooses, or is taught by her parents, to wear a religiously symbolic scarf does not endorse the extremists of that religion. Neither does a crucifix in a classroom endorse extreme Christians, like those who subscribe to the rapture movement, who say laws to protect the environment are pointless, as the second coming is at hand, and all good Christians, and nobody else, will be “carried into God’s light”.

Allowing a young girl to wear the hijab to class does not represent a threat to our way of life. Quite the opposite. It celebrates our openness, confidence and acceptance of diversity. It is the very best way to confront the bigots who would use religion as a force to divide rather than unite.