Banning headscarves in schools: Kifah Abu Ras and her colleague urge the other committee members to reconsider the recommendations.

News about Recommendations to ban the hijab In all Danish primary schools (grades 0-9), the local press immediately reported on the recommendations following the announcement last week. “Committee for the Struggle of Forgotten Women” The committee was formed by the government earlier this year as part of its desire to investigate how to prevent the social control of girls and women in immigrant communities. It is scheduled to conclude its work in early 2023.

The recommendations sparked controversy in political and public circles. Nearly six thousand demonstrators expressed their rejection of the recommendations in a demonstration in front of the Danish Parliament building on Friday, in which numbers of Danes and non-Muslims participated. The recommendations also received great criticism from many Danish experts who stated that such a ban “makes no sense.” Hundreds of Danish women posted pictures of themselves wearing headscarves on social media to express their solidarity with Muslim women and their criticism of the recommendations.

For example, Klaus Hjortdal, head of the Association of School Principals, stated that the ban would be a big problem, and Marco Damgaard, principal of Tingbjerg School in Copenhagen, stated that the ban shows a lack of trust towards parents.

Statement by Kifah Abu Ras
Following criticism of the recommendations, Kifah Abu Ras, a member of the committee recommending the hijab ban – a co-founder of the Sisters Against Violence and Control organization – wrote a post on her Facebook page over the weekend stating that she does not support the ban recommendation. She wrote that the recommendations should instead “discourage the wearing of the hijab in primary schools – not ban it,” meaning that fewer girls in grades zero to nine wear the hijab. Kifah Abu Ras did not wish to be interviewed, according to the Danish Broadcasting Corporation.

Liz Igholm's statement
“Given the considerable controversy the proposal has generated, it’s only natural that the Commission would now reconsider it,” said Lise Eigulm, a member of the committee and former principal of Rådmandsgade Skole in Nørrebro, Copenhagen. “I won’t sit down for the next meeting without discussing this. Perhaps we’ve become wiser. Perhaps we can amend it slightly… There was broad agreement; there wasn’t this kind of uproar.” She added that she was touched by the fact that some of her teaching colleagues had expressed doubts about the recommendations. “…these headscarves are a symbol of something as foreign to Denmark as anything that could be,” she said. Lise Eigulm herself suggests that the committee’s recommendation could be changed so that it doesn’t apply to all students, as she doesn’t believe that girls in grades 8 and 9 who have chosen to wear the headscarf should be opposed, while it is prohibited in grades 0-6 or 7. Lise Eigulm hopes that the committee members will agree to this amendment, insisting that there is a link between menstruation and the beginning of wearing the headscarf for some Muslims.

Statement by the Chairperson of the Committee
Committee chair Kristina Krzyrusijak Hansen, mayor of Holbæk and a member of the Social Democratic Party (the current ruling party), confirmed in a written response on the Danish Broadcasting Corporation's news website that there is still broad agreement within the committee, but the matter remains just a question of proposals: “The discussion about the best way forward is difficult. There are no easy solutions. I think the debate of the last few days proves that. Therefore, I welcome all good arguments, both for and against our proposal. Ultimately, it is up to the politicians in Christiansborg (the Danish Parliament) whether they want to move forward with the proposals.”.

In addition to banning headscarves in primary schools, the Committee for the Struggle of Forgotten Women also recommended strengthening sex education in primary schools, as well as putting forward several other proposals.