By Tamer Aboalenin

BERNE, Aug 7 (Saba) -- Nora Elli, of the Swiss central Islamic Shura council assured on Saturday that the Council will use all juridical and political means to fight the recommendation of the Education Board in Canton St. Gallen schools, proposing to ban all types of head covering wear.

Elli said to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the Council based its position against this recommendation on the Swiss Constitution of freedom of religion and belief, which ensures that exercise in accordance with the law. "We criticize strongly such recommendation which does not differentiate between the headwear used for prevention of colds or heat and the Islamic Hijab, which is part of the Muslim women's clothes and then could not be concluded under other head covering wear." She said.

She mentioned also that "the fatal error in that recommendation is its claim that the Hijab is means an expression of cultural identity, while it is part of belief and faith of a Muslim woman, therefore politicians can not intervene in the doctrine of human faith and orientations according to the Swiss law." For its part, the President of the Socialist Party in Canton St. Gallen Claudia Friedl criticized strongly that the education board did not discuss this recommendation with the concerned parties.
In an interview with (KUNA) Friedel did not exclude that such a recommendation could move rapidly to other Swiss cantons, "but it will open a wide debate about the issue, especially since Muslim women are concerned in the first place, which will make it is not easy at all levels".

She referred to the potential negative impact of such a ban on students as it is not easy for them to start the new school year to face such a ban. She stressed that the party takes this issue seriously, even though some have tried to mitigate it as "just a recommendation," not a decision or imposed.

The recommendation distributed says "The departments have the right under its powers to ban all types of head coverage in schools including the Hijab." Swiss law does not prohibit wearing the Hijab in schools and universities and therefore this proposal is seen as a precedent, therefore the Swiss Islamic Shura Council is deeply concerned.

Many Educators criticized that the authorities did not intervene decisively to prevent the spread of clothes Contrary to the public taste among students.

Saba