A UK school faces backlash after threatening a 12-year-old Muslim schoolgirl with expulsion for “refusing to wear a short skirt.”
Siham Hamud, a student at West London’s Uxbridge Highschool in Middlesex, England, was sent home in December for wearing an ankle-length skirt.
The school claimed that Hamud’s skirt violates the school’s dress code, denying her entry on the school grounds every day for almost a month for declining to wear a shorter skirt.
Siham Hamud, a 12 year old, who's been reported to have been bullied for her religious beliefs after being sent home every day in December from @UxbridgeHighSch and told to only come back when she wore a shorter skirt. What in the Islamaphobia is this?
— k. (@khadijaxvx) January 13, 2021
Speaking to The Guardian, Siham’s father, Idris Hamud, said short skirts contradict the family’s religious beliefs. The school has now threatened him and his wife, Salma Yusuf, with legal action over their daughter’s alleged unauthorized absences.
“All Siham wants to do is to wear a skirt which is a few centimetres longer than her classmates, and I don’t know why the school has such a problem with this. She is sent home to change into a shorter skirt then return to school later that day – but she isn’t going to change her beliefs in an hour,” he said.
And Siham says she is “confused,” by her school’s lack of acceptance.
UK school threatens legal action after 12-year-old Muslim student refuses to wear a shorter skirt.
— Muslim (@Muslim) January 15, 2021
Uxbridge high school had sent Siham Hamud home every day in December for wearing a longer skirt. She feels like the school administration is bullying her for her faith. pic.twitter.com/VN4HfXmrFV
“It makes me feel left out because I can’t see my friends. They aren’t accepting me for my religion and that’s wrong,” Siham told the publication. “I feel confused and annoyed that I can’t wear what I want for my religion. I hope they’ll change their rules so that girls like me wear skirts to school.”
The UK has not officially banned the wearing of the hijab in schools and other religious attire. There are currently seven nations in Europe that have banned the hijab, Germany Austria, Denmark, France, Belgium, Latvia, and Bulgaria. However, individual schools in the UK can implement their own dress code.
Haven’t kids suffered enough this year? @UxbridgeHighSch
— Mahbub Alam (@MahbubAlam01) January 12, 2021
Skirts too long, skirts too short. How about focusing more on the quality of the education…Her uniform is perfectly smart & it is in school colours. #sihamHamud @LBC @Independent #AcademicTwitter #COVID19 #education pic.twitter.com/75eECEhu1T
Nigel Clemens, the school’s principal, said: “This matter is currently subject to examination through the formal school complaints policy. It would therefore not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”