How a Hijab Kept a Woman From Taking Her Biology Exam
A student at College de Maisonneuve in Montreal found herself unable to take an exam, all because her teacher wanted her to adjust her hijab.
Saja Farhat was trying to take her biology exam wearing her usual hijab, which covers her ears. According to a college spokesperson, at the beginning of the year, the teacher had said he would be making sure students weren’t wearing headphones during exams.
CTV reports that the College de Maisonneuve biology department has a rule that teachers must look under hats, long hair and headscarves to confirm students aren’t wearing headphones.
Line Légaré, spokesperson for the school, told CTV the rule was in place to prevent cheating.
Farhat was asked to pull back her scarf behind her ears to make sure she didn’t have any headphones. She refused, but offered to allow the teacher to touch her ears underneath the hijab to prove she didn’t have any device of the sort. CTV News says the teacher felt “uncomfortable” with that.
“More than 50 eyeballs were all directed toward me. I felt so small and tiny,” Farhat told CTV. “I said ‘No, I cannot show you my ears because my religion does not permit it.”
Farhat and the teacher are trying to reschedule the exam. Still, it seems kind of strange that a teacher so adamant about this policy couldn’t have simply touched her ears to confirm whether or not she was wearing the headphones and moved on, instead of making it a thing. Muslim women are policed enough – both by fundamentalists and non-Muslims – over how they present themselves. A few European cities have adopted a burkini ban, making it difficult for practicing Muslim women who chose to cover themselves to enjoy a day at the beach. In France, the ban was overturned by the country’s highest administrative court, but still some mayors plan to uphold it. It seems as if some people are willing to make an issue out of something that is not only someone’s personal choice, but ultimately has no effect on anyone other than the people wearing the banned clothing.
What do you think?
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