School Wins
Muslim Dress Appeal. [England]
A British school has won its appeal against a
ruling that had given a Muslim teenage girl the right to wear full Islamic dress in class.
Britain's highest
court, the Law Lords, on Wednesday overturned a lower court
decision that had cleared the way for Shabina Begum to wear a jilbab, which covers the
body except for the hands and face. Begum, 17, won a Court of Appeal ruling last
year establishing that Denbigh High School in Luton, north of London, had infringed on her
human rights by not allowing her to wear the traditional Muslim dress. The school
appealed the decision to the Law Lords. Lord Justice Bingham said in his ruling
Wednesday that the key question was whether the school denied effective access to
education to the girl, The Associated Press reported. "In my opinion, the facts
compel the conclusion that it did not," he said. Bingham said the school
"had taken immense pains to devise a uniform policy which respected Muslim beliefs
but did so in an inclusive, unthreatening and uncompetitive way." |
Camilla:
No Longer 'Wicked Witch'. [England] For courtiers carefully choreographing the
rebranding of Prince Charles' new wife, the couple's latest overseas tour was the perfect
opportunity for a "Camilla makeover." And it worked.
Britain's
royalty-obsessed tabloids, who once vilified Camilla as the mistress who broke up the heir
to the throne's marriage to the late Princess Diana, have now decided she is the
acceptable face of the House of Windsor. "It is extraordinary how well she has
done for a novice," said Hello Magazine's Judy Wade who dubbed their
trip to Egypt, Saudi
Arabia and now India "The Togetherness Tour." "She is making him
easier to deal with. She jollies him along," she said of the middle-aged couple
who celebrate their first wedding anniversary next month after a tortuous 35-year love
affair. |
Sex
Industry Awaits World Cup. [Germany] Some 1 million foreign visitors are
expected to flood into Germany
from June 9 and many expect large numbers of male
spectators to wind down after a match in the arms of a prostitute or in the red light
districts of the 12 host cities. Hamburg's St. Pauli quarter, the country's largest
and most famous red light district, is bubbling with optimism that it could be a bumper
season for the legal sex industry. But others have raised concerns that vulnerable
women could be forced into prostitution to meet the expected demand. |
German Women's Soccer Team
Beats US in the Algarve Cup. [Germany] The German Women's team is continues to
sweep all before them. With the focus on the World Cup in Germany this summer, the
German women soccer players deserve more credit. The women's team is ranked number
one in the world, but is generally overshadowed by male counterparts. The Germans --
World and European champions -- beat the United
States 4-3 Wednesday to take the Algarve
Cup for the first time. The game remained goalless after 120 minutes, with the match
ending in a penalty-shot shootout. Despite their 16 shots on goal during regulation
time, the Americans were unable to win the title. "It was a good game by both
teams," said US head
coach Greg Rayn. "It think we played much better this
year. Last year, I thought Germany dominated the game and we were fortunate to score
the goal and defend well. I think in this match we were the aggressive team,
attacking throughout the game." The game was a rematch of last year's final,
which the world's number-two-ranked American team won 1-0. |
Dutch
Consider Burqa Ban to Muslim Dismay. [Netherlands] Last December, parliament
voted to forbid women from wearing the burqa or any Muslim face coverings in public,
justifying the move in part as a security measure. The cabinet is awaiting the
results of a study into the legality of such a ban under European human rights laws,
before making its final decision. The results are expected in the second half of
this month. "This is an enormous victory for traditional Dutch decency,"
said Geert Wilders, the populist member of parliament who first proposed the burqa ban,
after hearing parliament had backed it. "The burqa is hostile to women, and
medieval. For a woman to walk around on the streets completely covered is an insult
to everyone who believes in equal rights." |