Coalition to Defend Freedom of Religious and Cultural Expression condemns exclusion of Sikh pupil for wearing religious bangle
The Coalition to Defend Religious and Cultural Expression is today calling for the head teacher and the school governors of Aberdare Girls School in South Wales to reconsider their decision to exclude 14-year-old pupil Sarika Singh because she was wearing a small religious bangle on her wrist.
Bruce Kent of the Coalition said today:
“In today’s society we should applaud not punish young people who are committed to their faith. The small religious bangle that Sarika was wearing, known as the Kara, is an important part of the Sikh faith, and she should be allowed to wear it. The suspension of Sarika is an insult to all those who believe in the freedom to express religious conscience whether they are Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh or Christian or of no faith at all. I hope that the school governors and the head teacher will come to their senses and reinstate Sarika immediately and let her back on with her education.”
See also:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/7081573.stm
http://education.guardian.co.uk/faithschools/story/0,,2206554,00.html