Belgian must not prohibit the veil at school

"Are teachers who wear a head scarf a danger to the students they teach ?", asks Peter Vandermeersch. "Those who want to outlaw the head scarf consider this piece of fabric to be a symbol of oppression against women and fear compromising the neutrality of education. In their view, it is a patent symbol against which one must take precautions in the face of an Islamic radicalisation that could make its way into our own classrooms. But a healthy multicultural society cannot, must not, outlaw the veil. It does not represent a danger to the education of our children. It is ideas that can be harmful. This is why we must see to it that ghetto schools are not relegated to Islamic teachers. The values of our democratic society and especially the equality of men and women must continue. Beyond this, it matters little whether or not women wear the veil."

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