SCHOOL HIJAB ROW

A LOCAL principal is staring down an LNP member’s bid to ban hijabs in Queensland primary schools.

Brooke Patterson, above, was behind a successful motion at the LNP state conference on the weekend calling for a law forbidding girls under the age of 10 from wearing headscarfs at school.

Ms Patterson is also the P&C president at Benowa State School and wants a ban implemented there. But principal Michael Josey is having nothing of it.

PARENTS at a Gold Coast State primary school want to ban the hijab for future young female students to toughen the uniform policy.

But the school principal warns a meeting to discuss uniforms cannot be allowed on the grounds of discrimination and he wants the P&C president to stand down.

Benowa State School principal Michael Josey told Brooke Patterson she could “not use any political position, platform or agenda to canvas community opinion on the wearing of hijabs”.

Mr Josey said he had to make “reasonable adjustments in relation to religious and cultural beliefs” to ensure the uniform code was consistent with anti-discrimination laws.

Delegates at the LNP state conference supported a motion by Ms Patterson at the weekend to ban girls under the age of 10 from wearing headscarfs in schools.

“You will need to step aside with this matter and declare a conflict of interest, as your own personal political views cannot represent or influence the views of the P&C at this school,” Mr Josey wrote.

But Ms Patterson is not backing down, saying principals and P&Cs across Queensland are “grappling with this”.

“The P&C in effect approves the uniform at a school level. For uniform companies selling to state schools, one of the growth areas is selling hijabs.

“I will be making it clear that we shouldn’t be saying to any new girls starting at age five that they (their parents) do not put them in these garments until they reach puberty.

“The people who are most vulnerable to this are the poor darling girls between the ages of five and nine. Their religion doesn’t say anything about prepubescent girls wearing a sexual modesty garment.”

The P&C sought clarity on the uniform policy in May after school photographs showed many students failed to adhere to it.

Ms Patterson intends to lobby LNP parliamentary shadow ministers, but leader Tim Nicholls does not support the policy. “The LNP parliamentary team has no plans to implement such a ban,” he said.

Ms Patterson acknowledged the impact on students but intends to press forward with the policy at a future P&C state conference.

If a child had been wearing scarfs for several years, they would not be forced to change, she said. But she doubted the P&C would support its tuckshop selling “bottle green hijab garb”. “If you’re thinking of wearing these things in 35-degree classrooms, it’s revolting. It’s not OK.”

Ms Patterson admitted the issue was “really tricky” for parents but if they agreed to the introduction of the hijab it would create another uniform for a group of students by default.

“Why would you be trying to do that in a secular state? We are not deciding at Benowa State School uniforms according to a Muslim culture.”