Once again here's an episode of 'discrimination of Muslims in a Muslim country' as a British teacher was sent the following emails in regards to her wearing hijab.
It's sad but not the first or last case in Kuwait as it happens all of the time. I was working for a big medical company in Salmiya for the consultant to the CEO who was Tunisian with a French passport. I wasn't wearing hijab at the time but once he found out I was praying he asked me if I was Muslim and I said yes, he then told me he wouldn't have hire me if he knew that as he can't take me out for a drink. He continued to sexually harass the female Lebanese lawyer and myself in front of the Kuwaiti CEO and managers. A female who worked at the school who sent those emails was told not to wear abaya or any 'Arabic' garments while working there, she wears hijab but wasn't told to remove it at that branch.
I will also say shame on the Kuwaiti parents for what they are doing just because they want to westernize their kids doesn't mean they should discriminate towards others.
This was sent out today on their IG account in regards to what happened.
I laughed when I read "I will also say shame on the Kuwaiti parents for what they are doing just because they want to westernize their kids doesn't mean they should discriminate towards others."
ReplyDeleteApparently you have a very simplistic view of things here or you're oblivious to how corrupt foreign managements are in Kuwait in general.
According to our sources who are helping out fighting against this anti-hijab fiasco happening in schools, Kuwaiti parents had nothing to do with this.
For your information, similar incidents like this have been happening in private schools for a long time now. A lot of foreign principals and managements are given free reign to implement rules that fight Islamic values. Perhaps the only Kuwaiti stupidity here is allowing them to issue regulations as they please.
We took our children out of very popular private schools here because of this same reason. After investigation fishy campaign we came to the conclusion that several campaigns were run in schools to endorse Christian missionaries and other weird agendas that intentionally fight Islamic values in school. This is more than just simply "wanting to westernize children".
I'm pretty sure there are silly parents like the ones you describe but every family in kuwait more or less has someone who's veiled-- no matter how liberal they are. Covering the head (not the face) is something accepted and never got in the way.
I can share with you with other disgusting stories similar to this out of the dismay of parents from PTA meetings and endless bickering with these school managements that want nothing more than to use their power to instill western values that shockingly have no objective other than to devalue traditional morals.
Just as an example, a few years ago (without naming which popular school) has given our kids' an assignment to discreetly record a conversation with their parents interrogating them about politics and religion. The following week, another kid walked into our living room stating a teacher was giving them pondering questions about whether God exists or not (which had nothing to do with the curriculum).
It is not the school's duty to instill ideas of this nature to kids of this age. These are just a handful of examples of the disgusting experiences we've had with some of the schools. Signed petitions, law suits, endless arguments were an ongoing irritating ordeal in our lives until we moved them out of these schools.
So before you start judging, do your research first.
I'm judging? I'm going by what was stated in the emails and from the experience of living in this country for the past 13 years. I've seen first hand how private schools do not encourage Islamic practices by allowing Halloween, Valentine's day and other western holidays to be celebrated. I see how Muslim parents allow their children to wear costumes and happily encourage their children to participate.
DeleteThe country as a whole allows these events to happen where as before those celebrations would have never ever been allowed to cross people's minds. Now when you go into restaurants this month you will see Halloween decorations, Christmas time you will see trees and lights yet the heads of this country turn a blind eye.
You can say all you want about foreigners but look at Kuwait as a whole before you blame them. It's the corruption that blackens the hearts of people and Islam has taken a back seat because of it.
I had the same thing happen to me in UAE when I was hired as a "Canadian teacher" but then oh gosh I am Muslim and wear hijab? I said screw it and moved to Oman. Lived happily ever after here, where my students and their parents seem happy that I wear hijab, and that other teachers have the freedom not to as well, without discrimination:). That is so sad.....
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