A lot of Muslim girls and women in the Ghent area are struggling to find a school for next school year the Association of Ghent Mosques says. Last week the Province of East Flanders decided to ban headscarves in all provincial schools. For many of the hundred or so Muslim girls and women in provincial schools in Ghent this is news that has come as a blow. Many of them are experiencing difficulties finding a school where you can wear a headscarf and where you can get the same courses.
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Muslim girls scramble for school places after East Flemish headscarf ban
Colin Clapson
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The decision to ban headscarves in provincial schools in East Flanders is causing much controversy within Ghent’s Muslim community. The city possesses a large Turkish community. ‘In many schools the application procedure ended on 25 April, while the province only decided last week that headscarves could no longer be worn,’ Mohamed Abd El Motleb Omar of the Association of Ghent Mosques explains.
According to Mr El Motleb Omar, this late decision creates problems for many. ‘Many Muslim girls and women are experiencing difficulties in their search for a school where there is still room and where they can find the courses they were following at the provincial campus.’
‘Apart from the slim chance of finding another school, it is not easy for many Muslim girls and women suddenly to leave their familiar school surroundings. They are faced with a choice: do I leave this school, or do I just give up part of my identity?’
Safe spaces guaranteed
East Flanders deputy commissioner for education Kurt Moens (Flemish nationalist N-VA) understands the concerns of the Muslim community, but he also calls for nuance in this debate. ‘The ban on wearing a headscarf is a consequence of the introduction of a policy that stands for philosophical neutrality,’ he says.
‘We are only applying what is applied in Flemish government education,’ Mr Moens continues. ‘But that does not mean we want to avoid dialogue between different religions, because society is diverse, so we have to learn to deal with that.’
Mr Moens also stresses that there will be safe spaces where Muslim girls and women can put on or take off their headscarves. ‘Furthermore, we will also work with the teachers to see if students can wear headscarves or other religious symbols during Life Studies lessons.’