October 13, 2003	Monday	Sha'aban 16, 1424

WASHINGTON, Oct 12: A Muslim advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called on the Oklahoma State Department of Education on Sunday to intervene after a Muslim public school student in that state was suspended twice for wearing a religiously-mandated head scarf, or hijab.

School officials in Muskogee, Oklahoma, told the sixth-grader at Benjamin Franklin Science Academy that her headscarf violates their dress code policy. That policy prohibits hats, caps, bandanas or other headwear. The girl’s father told reporters: “The principal kept saying it was not religious wear. They said if my daughter keeps wearing her hijab to school, they are going to kick her out.”

On Oct 1, the Muslim student was suspended for three days for wearing the scarf. When she returned to school still wearing hijab, she was suspended a second time for five days.

“This is a clear violation of the student’s right to freely practice her faith and must be dealt with at the state level,” said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “This is not an issue of separation of church and state because she is not imposing religion on anyone...Not allowing this girl to go to school because of her religious beliefs is un-American,” he added.