UZBEKISTAN: SCHOOL AUTHORITIES CRACK DOWN ON HIJAB-WEARING STUDENTS

ws/eav091409d.shtml
9/14/09

Female students in Tashkent who wear the hijab are being harassed by
school administrators, a human rights group claims.

Veritas, a member of Rapid Response Group Uzbekistan, says it
has documented "multiple cases" where students were humiliated,
bullied or expelled because they refused to remove their scarves,
the CA-News.org news agency reported on September 14.

Tashkent introduced a temporary ban on hijab during the recently
celebrated 2200th anniversary of the city. Authorities justified the
move as a temporary measure undertaken for "public safety reasons."