From Wikinews, the free news source you can write!
Page version status
The page has not been checked
There are no reviewed versions of this page, so it may not have been checked for adherence to standards.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Australian Members of Parliament Bronwyn Bishop and Sophie Panopoulos have called for a ban on the wearing of Islamic headscarves in Australian public schools, saying it is an "iconic act of defiance."
They are concerned about Muslim women failing to reveal their faces in photographic identification, and claim that this could be a security risk.
Bishop and Panopoulous are both members of the Liberal Party of Australia which is the major party in the governing Coalition.
Bishop said there is a clash of cultures occurring in the country: "In an ideal society you don't ban anything," she told a television interviewer.
She indicated she was talking of a ban only in schools, not at home.
Australian Muslims have angrily disagreed, say they should be allowed to comply with their religious doctrine.
The moves to ban the Islamic headscarf - the hijab - began in France where it is banned from government schools.
The Australian Prime Minister, John Howard has responded stating that he is against any ban.
This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.
Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.
Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.
Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.
The text of this article has been released into the public domain. In the event that this is not legally possible, this article may be used for any purpose, without any condition, unless such conditions are required by law. This applies worldwide. Copyright terms on images, however, may vary, so please check individual image pages prior to duplication.
This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.
Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.
Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.
Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.
The text of this article has been released into the public domain. In the event that this is not legally possible, this article may be used for any purpose, without any condition, unless such conditions are required by law. This applies worldwide. Copyright terms on images, however, may vary, so please check individual image pages prior to duplication.
