Multiculturalism is rapidly becoming questionable as a positive value. Witness France’s overwhelming support to ban conspicuous religious articles in its schools. Though motivated by Muslim girls wearing the hijab, it also bans the yarmulke and the crucifix. What with the French paranoia over the Catholic heritage that brought about their own separation of church and state a century ago [Laïcité], it is perhaps understandable if not forgivable. Still, I wonder if before 7% Muslims and on the rise, there was ever a problem when an overwhelming majority of kids came to school on Ash Wednesday with ashes on their foreheads? To be fair, however, it is but one day and not a daily display as the hijab, but then again so was the Janet Jackson display of another kind of day and perhaps of infamy.
Of course, our nation has always taken pride in diversity — what else, inasmuch as we are a nation of immigrants. Yet our schools have a history of instituting dress codes from time to time depending on fashion trends. In the sixties and seventies, disappointing boys’ inherent salaciousness, hot pants and extreme miniskirts were banned. Since Columbine, boy’s loose fitting clothes and shirt tails were essentially a matter of security. Not only private but some public schools are insisting on uniforms. However, this is not simply a matter of prohibiting trends or religious expression, as well as in France, but rather, a matter of distraction from study and possible causal agent for disruption. It is one thing for a teacher to court a green tie on St. Patrick’s Day, and quite another for one to wear a rag-head through out the school year. Even an ordained priest from a catholic university recruited as an adjunct professor in a public university is expected to wear civilian clothes.
Aside from my own personal taste that a woman’s hair is beauty to behold and my suspicion that a fundamentalist family insists the girl wears the headdress, the harm that hijab effects is primarily out of the low-level of religious tolerance. Multiculturalism is, I fear, causing more problems than it is worth. No salad bowl thank you; bring back the melting pot.
Copyright © 2004 Richard R. Kennedy All rights reserved. Revised: April 2, 2004.