Prakash calls for mediation in hijab impasse

St Augustine MP Prakash Ramadhar is calling for mediation and not court action to solve the impasse over Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College’s decision to not allow a Muslim trainee to teach at the school unless she took off her hijab.

“We must act wisely not only legally. We must query the decisions by those responsible that led us to this moment,” Ramadhar said in a statement yesterday.

His comments relate to pending court action by Muslim engineering graduate Nafisah Nakhid against Lakshmi Girls and the Maha Sabha over a policy that hijabs could not be worn at the school. Education Minister Anthony Garcia has also said Government would seek the court’s interpretation of the constitutionality of Nakhid not being allowed to wear the hijab while teaching. Nakhid refused to do as asked when she reported to the school in St Augustine last Monday.

“Were there no other options? Was it deliberate and calculated or the result of thoughtless action? There are solutions now available. Let us choose that which brings a sense of peace and understanding,” Ramadhar said in his appeal for mediation. The MP referred to other occasions when denominational schools discriminated against students of other religions, even referring to Garcia’s tenure as principal of Fatima College, a Catholic school.

“Today it is the hijab at Lakshmi (one of the best schools in the Trinidad and Tobago), yesterday, it was the former principal of Fatima causing the ‘rakshas’ to be removed. Tomorrow, will it be a non-Muslim student being sent home by ASJA because he brought a ham sandwich for lunch or a proclaimed atheist disallowed entry to Presentation College? The list can be very long and unexpected,” he said.

Noting denominational schools are better performing schools, possibly because of their culture of discipline and values, Ramadhar questioned if anyone should determine the principles of others.

“This is where the court steps in; if there is a clear breach and infringement of the right of any citizen. This access ought to be a last resort and not a first stop. Do unto others as you have them do unto you. The golden rule is most relevant to our present circumstances,” he said, especially in a multi-cultural society.