■"British girl wins battle over Muslim clothing: "I'm happy that I did this. I feel that I have given hope and strength to other Muslim women," by Dilpazier Aslam, The Globe and Mail, 3 March 2005, p. A14A.
British schoolgirl wins right in court to wear head scarf and full head-to-toe clothing at public school. Doubleplusgood for her. She shows the way for tolerance from non-Muslims and she lights a path for young Muslim women struggling for personal connectivity in the West, where they need-for now and probably a very long time-the social protection offered by these clothes. As Olivier Roy points out in Globalized Islam (excellent book), this re-traditionalization isn't about rejecting the West or its ways, but about trying to compromise with them. Remember, this is a discussion about how we get Muslim girls in public schools, not how we keep them out.
Yes, she may be excluded by some peers in the short term, but the longer-term inclusion of this young woman in educational and later work settings is the real future worth creating. The clothes will go away with time, but the connectivity will only grow.
This is the right way. The French are doing it the wrong way.
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