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According to this MTV report, Sabis which is a secular school, dismissed Christian students having a cross of ashes on their forehead on the first day of Lent because the school does not tolerate any display of religious or political symbols. However, and as per the school regulations shown in the report and what the school principal explained to the parents, Hijab which is a “religious obligation” is accepted by the administration.
Here’s an excerpt of the regulations as shown in the MTV report:
The display of any religious or political symbol is strictly forbidden. A religious obligation may be accepted by the administration if it is not in conflict with the curriculum, rules and regulations of the school.
Personally speaking, I believe a secular school shouldn’t allow any religious symbols and shouldn’t make exceptions at all. Whether Hijab is a religious obligation or symbol is open to interpretation and has caused endless debates worldwide specially after France banned it, so it’s a bad idea for a secular school to stick its nose in these matters. Moving on to the MTV report, and since Lebanon is obviously not a secular state, I think they should have dealt with this sensitive issue more carefully without adding more fuel to the fire. Turning the matter into a sectarian one and wearing crosses vs wearing veils matter is silly and won’t do us any good.
More importantly, the way some parents are reacting to this matter will only reflect negatively on their children as they have nothing to do with this matter and are probably clueless about religion as a whole. All in all, I think the administration and the parents should meet and sort this out in the best interest of the children and the school.
damn what a sectarian channel, the Hijab is a religious obligation, the cross from what i understood was either tattooed or was hanging out as in form of a necklace, neither which are a christian obligation. They both dont convey a a demand by christianity onto christians, unlike the the Hijab which has a purpose to cover the hair. I srsly dont get why the channel along with the parents are getting all horny against the Hijab, is forcing girls to take their Hijab off going to make them feel any better, or is it just a sectarian F up instinct in them. Finally who is MTV to criticize SABIS, this international school should be a pride, it literally has graduated student to world-class & Ivy League universities. MTV displays titties all day and sets up concerts all summer. Do something/ fight for something that is helpful for the youth, enough with these nauseous acts.This channels stands for nothing and is empty of content.
you are missing the point Blzo. secular is secular, full stop. they didn’t go to the administration and request to forbid hijab nor did they argue the fact that the school is secular, they are complaining about the fact that the school promotes itself as secular on certain things and not others, which will lead to bigotry against the side that feels obligated to follow the rule. both parents (muslims and none muslims) knew the rules of the school of being secular prior to signing up, so unless it applies on all it wont be secular rather sectarian. if you walk into a school and see someone wearing a hijab, how is that secular?!
A lot of people in this country need to get laid…
LOOOOOL my dear the school being secular does not mean all attending students should be intrinsically secular/ non -religious, it means that the school does not walk within the guidelines of a specific religion ( like maqasid,al-mabarat, protestant colleges). Its main goal is to provide education to whomever needs it regardless of his religion, it does not mean u do not need to follow a certain religion to attend, lol otherwise no one would. It means that the school does not tolerate unnecessary/unneeded expression of beliefs in medium set mainly for education. So it tries to go minimal with regards to all religions. And in regards to Islam Hijab is the minimum. You might disagree if this bare minimum in regards to Islam should be allowed, that is your choice, but of the world most elite institutions and universities (ofc outside lebanon) allowed and im happy SABIS went pro with that.
i think your understanding of a secular institution is completely twisted, its not about accepting student of different faith / no faith. and dear, the school choosing to being secular and what they mean by it is precisely in the statement quoted by them ” The display of any religious or political symbol is strictly forbidden. A religious obligation may be accepted by the administration if it is not in conflict with the curriculum, rules and regulations of the school”.
So i think u haven’t read the article well nor what the school means by them being secular. for reference, a secular institution, government or whatever is one because there may not be anything inherently religious about them and religion should not be the basis of their legislation or operation. moreover, sabis chose part of its system not to allow students to project their religious affiliation as their bylaws. right or wrong is not our story, but the argument remains standing and easy to answer, does a cross represent religious affiliation? YES, now, does Hijab represent religious affiliation…….YES so if the school wants to apply the law “quoted above” they need to stop both or allow both, anything other than that is discriminating. and by the way, a kid wearing a cross thats less than one centimeter on the neck is more “minimal” than an entire head cover! and its no ones right to dictate either faith follower on what is minimal and maximum in exercising their faiths, i don’t want to go down that road, but either both banned or both allowed is all fairness, objectivity and secularly intact. i am not here to agree or disagree on any theological matter, i leave that to clerks, for me its pure logic and how the law is applied, in this situation the school claims to be secular and would like everyone to keep their faiths and political affiliations to themselves, for a muslim to have the ability to exercise his / her shari3a rights should be reciprocal to other faiths or both should be stopped, reciprocal again.
Civil, very well said, thank you.
“does a cross represent religious affiliation? YES, now, does Hijab represent religious affiliation…….YES ” BUZZZZZZZ KIIILLLL !!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ” Long before Islam, veiling and seclusion were practiced in Mesopotamian cultures and among the Sassanians of Persia.” thus the hijab can be looked as part of a geo-cultural identity 😉 ( u like me i know ) lol just leave the little girls alone.
Works cited: ‘Hijab’ from Oxford Islamic Studies Onlinehttp://bridgingcultures.neh.gov/muslimjourneys/items/show/177
Blzo, i like you yes, i actually love your logic which is correct, but lets pls come back to our present time, to lebanon, to sabis and to our subject. you know it was unfair by the school and not correct to have one exercise a basic right vs another that is not allowed to! so stop being the devils advocate and forget me 🙂 ask me, i want the school being secular, but i if up to me i also wouldn’t want the kids to hide something as important as how they manifest their faith as a way to coexist! what are we really teaching them here! i would let the girl wear the hijab and the kid wears the cross and an atheist in that circle and the school being equal before all (secular) teach them how to tolerate one another and coexist! and by the way, i know many islamic schools in beirut that took sponsorship of educating christians and vise versa, and not for a second was any discriminated! but in our situation here, the school forbidding ones right to display religious symbol over the other defeated its purpose of being secular, and the biggest proof is that some people felt oppressed!!
Today, the hijab represents islam.
Dear MTV,
It is not the SABIS policy that is sectarian, it is YOUR TV channel and the simple fact that you chose to give 4 minutes of Air time to such a silly matter that is appallingly Sectarian.
I have graduated from a SABIS school and I have never seen a more accurate and organized schooling and educational system. You should be ashamed of this report that is so poorly filmed, articulated and devoid of content.
I am secular, I denounce the need for religious expression, but nevertheless I understand the fact that a Hijab is a religious necessity, or hence Farida Diniya, while the Cross, the Seif of Imam Ali, the Blue Eye, the 5-Pointed Star and all other religious symbols are not, they are Symbols… and that’s all they will ever be.
The issue with banning the Cross on Tanen el Rmed happened because it was a clear religious expression in a secular place, the same thing happens to ANY student that exhibits any other symbol, they are asked to remove it or hide it in their clothes. The Hijab on the other hand cannot have the same treatment because it is a Farida. You can wear the Cross, the Sword, the Star or whatever you want, but you don’t need to wave around in anyone’s face just to prove a religious belonging. It can exist very well beneath your clothes and still do all the protecting you need it to do.
You tarnish the name of one of Lebanon’s most renown and important educational institutions instead of promoting the fact that it caters to 70,000 students worldwide over a network of 52 schools that all started from Lebanon, SABIS celebrates diversity while you sit and film your stupid report based on sectarianism because YOU ARE a sectarian station with sectarian goals and view.
Moreover you chose to interview parents, but only the ones that would provide YOU with the deduction YOU want, instead of capturing the image as a whole.
You have failed to be a TV station, you have failed to bring the news as it is and you have failed at providing your audience with a clear understanding of a very stupid issue that shouldn’t even be on national television.
.
I hope this post might actually mean something to you. I doubt you’ll change the money-hungry, tabloid-driven nature that you currently have; but at least I have hope that someday your corrupt institution might actually decide to abandon its sectarian-driven and content-devoid propaganda, and instead focus on more important issues such as the rampant corruption that YOU and all the other Lebanese TV stations have.