Dispute escalates over hijab ban at Pattani school

Dispute escalates over hijab ban at Pattani school

Parents of children enrolled at the Pattani kindergarten, where 70% of the pupils are Muslims, talk to Waedueramee Mamingji, chairman of the Islamic Commission of Pattani, in front of the school on Friday. (Photos by Abdulloh Benjakat)
Parents of children enrolled at the Pattani kindergarten, where 70% of the pupils are Muslims, talk to Waedueramee Mamingji, chairman of the Islamic Commission of Pattani, in front of the school on Friday. (Photos by Abdulloh Benjakat)

PATTANI: The country's deputy Islamic leader has resigned from the board of a local school following a hijab ban by the kindergarten in this southern province.

Waedueramee Mamingji, who is also chairman of the Islamic Commission of Pattani, submitted his resignation on Saturday afternoon.

The management of the Abuban Pattani kindergarten in Muang district banned pupils from wearing the hijab this week. It justified the move by saying that the school was situated on the grounds of Wat Noppawongsaram, a Buddhist monastery.

School director Prajak Chusri could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

On Friday, 50 parents gathered to give moral support to Paridah Almumeena, Kadaria Hemmin and Wan-idrib Hayiteh, whose four daughters wore hijabs to the school earlier.

The school informed them the hijab ban was in place and teachers would not perform their duty if the parents insisted on having the girls wear the headscarves. They were told to transfer their children to another school if they insisted on continuing with hijab observance.

Waedueramee Mamingji arrives at the Pattani kindergarten on Friday.

The three parents said they intended to defy the order and pledged to let their daughters wear hijabs to school on Monday.

The dispute began on Wednesday, the first day of the new academic term. Some teachers, who are mostly Buddhists, are said to have insulted children who showed up wearing the head coverings. Almost half of them staged a strike later. 

Although more than 70% of the pupils at the school are Muslims, all removed their hijabs when entering the school.

Mrs Kadaria said she had earlier asked the school director whether her daughter could wear the hijab and he had said he had nothing against it.

“However, the director told me later the school had decided at a meeting to continue banning the hijab and that teachers would not do their duty if there is a violation. He also told us to move our children to another school if we insist on the hijab," she said. 

“We insist we will fight so our children can dress according to Education Ministry regulations and related laws. We are also considering legal action.”

She said she asked the school director to set up a meeting for her with the abbot of the temple which owns the school’s land, but was turned down.

Mr Waedueramae earlier said the issue had nothing to do with religion. “There were only two votes in favour of changing the school’s regulation [to allow the hijab] so the issue was closed,” he said.

Angkhana Leelapaijit, a human rights commissioner, said on Saturday that she would like all sides to take the children’s interests to heart when sorting out their differences.

“Let’s not forget that the constitution endorses practices on religious beliefs so long as they don’t affect the public,” she said.

She urged more cultural plurality as today Buddhist and Muslim students are in separate schools.

She also suggested a meeting between Education Ministry officials and religious leaders in the area.

“People of the two religions have lived together for more than a hundred years. Respecting each other’s beliefs will lead to solutions in the short term and peace in the long term,” Mrs Angkhana said.

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