Monday, September 12, 2011

French schools undo ban on Sikhs' top knot


AMRITSAR: Two French schools have withdrawn their decision not to allow Sikh students to tie up their unshorn hair in top knots and cover it with handkerchiefs.

The schools -- Lycee Leon Blum in Creteil and Lycee Romain Rolland in Goussainville -- had asked two Sikh students Amarjit and Harpal in the beginning of this month to undo or cut their unshorn hair tied up as jooda.

However, the schools withdrew their order following a flurry of active advocacy, according to NGOUnited Sikhs' legal director Mejinderpal Kaur. She told TOI on Sunday that Harpal's parents contacted them after the supervisor of Lycee Romain Rolland refused to admit him if he did not follow the rules.

"We wrote letters to the head teacher of the school, the education inspector of Goussainville (district level), the mediator and Rector of Versailles (department level) and sought meetings. Earlier in the week, we had written to Amarjit's school and the education department when we found that he was asked to cut his hair," said Kaur.

She said that ever since a ban was imposed in 2004 on wearing a turban to school, French Sikh students had been tying their hair as jooda, while they wore a patka or turban outside the school.

with thanks : Times of india : Link above for detailed news.

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