Make Your Way 7, Schulbuch mit Audio-CD und CD-ROM

But since September 2004, all obvious religious symbols, including headscarves and veils, have been banned from schools. en French president Jacques Chirac stated that this ban was essential in order not to compromise the secularity of the French state. However, it was not only France that found itself in the news on the issue. Several other countries around the world ran into similar problems. 1 Singapore In an e ort to minimize religious tension between its Chinese majority and Malay Muslim minority, the Singapore government banned the wearing of headscarves in schools. However, the law created controversy, and four families who tried to defy the ban were o ered places for their daughters in schools in neighbouring Malaysia. is led to a certain tension between the two countries for a while. 2 Egypt In 2006, several female television presenters were banned from appearing on Egypt state TV because they had been wearing headscarves. At that time, the Egyptian government was keen to discourage the public display of such obvious Islamic symbols because they were afraid it could contribute to a rise in fundamentalism. Nonetheless, the headscarf found more and more popularity during the years to follow. 3 Germany In Germany, a female teacher who had been excluded from her school for wearing a headscarf was given the backing of the country’s supreme court, who decided she had done nothing wrong within the country’s law. However, individual German states do have the right to introduce local laws banning the wearing of the headscarf in schools. 4 Saudi Arabia A top businesswoman in Saudi Arabia, who gave a speech in public without wearing a headscarf, caused leading religious gures to warn of “grave consequences” if women stopped wearing their veils and headscarves. 5 Turkey In 2003, Turkey’s president caused problems when he failed to invite any women who wore headscarves to a reception to celebrate 80 years of the republic. is included many wives of top politicians, including the wife of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As a result, many members of Turkey’s ruling AKP boycotted the event. In those 80 years, Turkey built up a strong reputation of being a secular country to the point where it is forbidden to wear scarves in civic areas. 6 Denmark In Denmark, a Muslim woman failed to win a court case she had brought against her former employers, a large supermarket chain. She had lost her job because she insisted on wearing a headscarf. e court decreed that her contract speci cally banned the wearing of such headgear. 145 2 Compact unit 2: Headgear Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv