Indeed. Ban something and you make it even more of a political statement.

Just make a scarf an optional part of the uniform. Like choosing to wear the jumper or the windcheater- which ever you prefer, so long as it is the right colour and has the school logo.

Anyway, don't we rail against Saudi Arabia etc for 'repressing choice'- if we attempt to ban girls from wearing scarves over their hair, arn't we being incredibly hypocritical?

"...Jewish and Muslim holy days should join Christmas and Easter as official school holidays."

I really can't agree that embracing a multicultural australia involves observing every religion's holy days as holidays. Can you imagine if this were introduced in the workplace (which would happen if introduced at schools). If anything, we should have the same generic holidays for everybody, when we can celebrate any religion we choose.

To sneekeepete - Yo, good sense of humour.
To sand between my toes - I respectfully suggest you wash them.

But look at all this nonsense about what women wear. Oooh, it's sending messages. Oooh, it's going to corrupt political correctness. Oooh, it's going to set women's rights back 2000 years. Oooh, it might offend the delicate sensitivities of we-feminists. Oooh, it's going to mess with the brains of our kids. Oooh, oooh, etc, etc. And the rubbish keeps going on.

All unsubstantiated fears.

The real problem here is the demonstration of the hypocrisy of Marxist/feminists' so-called championing of diversity. This hijab wearing diversity is outside their tolerance zone. It threatens their precious anti-religious and anti-traditional-family doctrine. The bigots are worried that it might rub off on to the general population and become accepted. They're worried that people might start to think outside their square of social limitations. They're terrified of true diversity and terrified of free thinkers.

This discussion is nothing but a display of prejudice and intolerance. And that's what it's all about, leftist prejudice and intolerance - just like it was in France recently and the very same thing in Nazi Germany of the past.

And especially you Leslie, shouldn't have the slightest problem with women wearing the hijab or anything else they want.

Maximus,
I would agree that much of feminism is total hypocrisy, but feminists are basically a dieing breed, because they aren’t reproducing enough (being highly anti-male, anti-family, and quite anti-children).

This article mentions France, and I followed the developments in France for a little while, and the situation was quite interesting.

There is a growing number of Muslim youth in France, and Muslim girls were beginning to wear the Hijab to secular or state schools. This started some debate as to whether or not the Hijab was a religious symbol, as religious symbols are not accepted in those schools. Various historians were contacted, and it appears that the Hijab is indicative of Islam, but not entirely.

Most Muslim people have dark hair, and there is some belief that a scarf (which latter became the Hijab) was originally used by women to cover up greying hair (as in earlier times there wasn’t hair dye). In time, it became traditional or customary for many Muslim women to wear the Hijab, or some other form of dress to cover their hair. So vanity, as well as religion or tradition could be involved.

The situation in France is interesting in another way. In census and other forms, information about a person’s religion could not be gathered (by law). However it became noticeable, that Muslim children were being born at about 3 times the rate as non-Muslim children, and the government began to fear that France would become a Muslim country in 30- 50 yrs time. So the government has begun to give highly generous payments to mothers to have more babies (eg large payments upon birth of third child, almost a doubling of child allowance for the third child, paid maternity leave up to 40 wks for a third child etc)

This is in a country that has a comparatively high birth rate of 1.9 (ie above Australia’s). It is obvious that the government is trying to ward off the time France becomes Muslim. So there is discrimination involved, but in this case, it suits feminists.

Off-topic slightly, but oh well: Timkins, feminists are not a dying breed- just many women don't like to use the term as they know it will invite ridicule. Every girl who goes to university or tafe, who gets a job outside of the home, who contributes to her family income, who is not limited in her career choice by being told "no darling, you're a girl, you'll be a mummy instead", who is a legal person in her own right, and who votes without considering it a luxury, is a feminist. We are just lucky enough that these privileges have become common enough that women no longer need to associate them with a specific political movement, as they are now, thankfully, expected and accepted as basic rights. Huzzah feminism!

Last time I looked I wasn't dying (well, no faster than anyone else, anyway) and I have certainly bred two more feminists, as have my two sisters (two feminists apiece, I'm afraid, Timkins), who will definitely breed more, until we eventually take over the universe Woahahahaha!! (that's meant to be a mad scientist laugh, by the way.) And you can ridicule me for being a feminist all you like, I'll ridicule you right back.
Funny old Timkins (no, you may not be actually old, I use it as a term of endearment) I grow quite fond of you, but I suspect you do not return the compliment.
Some of us feminists are really quite nice once you get to know us, and only sacrifice men to the Goddess during full moons.