A thug spat at a woman in the street apparently because she was wearing an Islamic head scarf. Police have appealed for help tracing the man, who targeted the woman in Humberstone Road, near Leicester city centre.

The 20-year-old woman was walking near to the St Matthews service station when she noticed three young men approaching her. One of them spat on her as they passed by and the three began laughing as they walked away.

Officers have released a CCTV image of three people they want to trace. The incident happened shortly before 1pm on Monday, February 4.

Pc Dave Adams said: "The victim felt upset and frightened following the incident and feels that she was targeted because she was wearing a hijab.

"We will not tolerate people feeling intimidated and frightened on our streets and I would urge anyone with information to call us as soon as they can.

"The road was quite busy at the time of the incident so there is a possibility that passers-by and passing traffic may be able to help."

The three suspects are white, 18 or 19 and of slim build. One was wearing a peaked cap and another was wearing a black hooded top.

Contact Pc Adams on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

This is Leicester, 15 February 2013

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A second photo of a St. Paul police officer dressed in a Muslim hijab surfaced late this week, packing an extra wallop: The officer appears to be wearing blackface makeup.

The two pictures, apparently taken at parties in 2010 and 2012, have set off a storm of criticism from some Somali and Muslim community members who feel mocked and belittled by the images. St. Paul City Council Member Melvin Carter III called out the second image for the officer's apparent use of blackface makeup. The first image did not include blackface makeup.

"The actions of the officers depicted in these photos are offensive and embarrassing," Carter said in a written statement. "Mocking culture, skin color and religion for a laugh may seem trivial, but any behavior that violates the sacred, essential trust between our officers and residents is reckless and inexcusable."

The first photo surfaced on Twitter Sunday, depicting K-9 officer Robert Buth dressed as a Somali Target employee in a red jilbaab, a type of hijab. The second photo surfaced Wednesday on an anonymous Twitter account, was e-mailed anonymously to police Chief Thomas Smith Thursday morning and gained more momentum on Twitter Friday.

In the second image, an officer, who hasn't been identified by the department, is wearing an orange jilbaab and what appears to be blackface makeup. Police said it's unclear if the second officer was a sworn officer at the time the photo was taken, apparently in 2010. It appeared to originate on Facebook before it landed on Twitter.

Smith immediately opened investigations into both photos when they came to his attention.

"I'm disappointed and upset that officers in this organization may have poorly represented themselves," Smith said. "My thing is that you're an officer 24 hours a day, both on-duty and off-duty, and I'm not going to tolerate anything that could put a blemish on our St. Paul Police Department and our strong relationship with the communities that we serve."

Although St. Paul officials have not commented on whether the officer is wearing blackface makeup, many community members believe he is, said Lori Saroya, executive director of the Minnesota Chapter of the Council on Islamic-American Relations (CAIR-MN). "We're getting a lot of calls from the community," she said. "I think it's a lot more serious. It just opens a whole other door."

CAIR-MN offered to provide diversity training for Buth, and will now call for department-wide training, Saroya said. "The one incident was seen as an anomaly," she said. "Now with two incidents, it's raising more concern about why officers think it's OK to mock other people's culture and religion."

Star Tribune, 8 February 2013

See also St Cloud Times and Pioneer Press.

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The parents of a schoolgirl living in the village of Privolny, Stavropol Territory, are complaining that their daughter has been barred from school for wearing a headscarf.

"Today we sent our daughter to school on the school bus. The senior teacher put her back on the bus and it took her home. She has been barred from classes over the headscarf for about two weeks now," the girl's father Rizak Rizakov told Interfax.

Rizakov said the teachers are saying this decision has been made because of a decree issued by the governor. "My daughter is in 3rd grade. Other children don't wear headscarves to school. There were three girls who wore headscarves, they have now removed them," the source said.

The man said he has filed complaints with the prosecutors and intends to stand his ground. He also said his daughter has worn a headscarf to school since September 1.

In the meantime, the press service for the territory's Education Ministry told Interfax these actions violate the school charter, which outlines requirements for students' appearance. "They will be talking to the parents and the schoolgirl. If they don't observe the school charter, they will be offered to choose a different form of education," the ministry official said.

In October, the Stavropol Territory's muftiat reported on complaints made by some schoolgirls' parents saying that their Muslim daughters had been barred from classes for some two weeks for wearing headscarves. The incidents occurred at School No. 12 in the village of Kara-Tyube.

The issue of headscarves was discussed at the highest level on October 18. Russian President Vladimir Putin said, commenting on this conflict, that people's religious feelings need to be respected, but the fact that the Russian state is a secular one needs to be taken into account.

"We always need to treat people's religious feelings with a lot of respect. This should be manifested in the state activities, in nuances, in everything. Secondly, our state is secular and we need to work on the basis of that assumption," Putin said during a meeting with Popular Front representatives.

The Stavropol Territory's Governor Valery Zerenkov later ordered immediate work on the territory's regulation governing students' appearance. "There should be uniform rules in one territory," he said.

According to the territory's Education Minister Irina Kuvaldina, the Stavropol Territory's schools will introduce a school uniform by December 20.

Interfax, 30 November 2012

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A female Saudi fighter will take part in the Olympic judo competition after being allowed to wear an Islamic headscarf, or hijab, of a specific design.

Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shaherkani is one of only two Saudi women to travel to London after the International Olympic Committee lobbied the conservative Islamic kingdom to end its refusal to send women to the Games.

But she had said she would only compete if she was allowed to wear the hijab, and judo officials refused, saying it would be dangerous.

A Saudi National Olympic Committee spokeswoman said the committee, the IOC and the International Judo Federation had now agreed on an acceptable form for the headscarf.

"They agreed on a design and she will compete wearing this design," Razan Baker said, adding that she did not know how this design looked.

IJF spokesman Nicolas Messner confirmed that Shaherkani would compete, but declined to give further details.

The IOC this year successfully pressed Saudi Arabia and fellow Muslim nations Qatar and Brunei, the last three countries to refuse to send women to the Olympics, to end their bans.

The Saudi decision to send Shaherkani and teenage 800-metre runner Sarah Attar was praised by IOC President Jacques Rogge at the time. Shaherkani is due to compete in the heavyweight category on Friday.

The IJF's regulations for the Olympic Games state that no headgear can be worn, and the federation says there could be a danger to fighters if a hijab is inadvertently used for an otherwise legal strangulation grip.

Reuters, 31 July 2012

Over at Jihad Watch Robert Spencer predictably denounces "the relentlessly dhimmi IOC".

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Tahira B. El, a practicing Muslim, faced religious discrimination when she was fired by her employer, a security company providing guards to the Pennsylvania Convention Center, because she refused to remove a head scarf she wore for religious reasons, according to a federal lawsuit filed in Philadelphia on her behalf Wednesday by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The suit said that El, of Philadelphia, was hired by ABM Security Services, of California, to work at the center on Feb. 21, 2011. She was fired the next day, the suit said, when she showed up in uniform, wearing the khimar, which covers her hair and ears, but not her face.

Because the Convention Center did not employ El, it is not named in the suit, but "we would not prohibit anyone from expressing their religious beliefs," convention center director Ahmeenah Young said in a statement.

ABM said some clients require adherence to a strict uniform code. The company said in a statement that it was disappointed that EEOC filed the suit because El was given the opportunity to work elsewhere but declined.

Philadelphia Inquirer, 19 July 2012

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Football chiefs agreed on Thursday to lift a ban on women wearing headscarves during games, clearing the way for the participation of many Muslim nations in top-flight competition.

Until the vote by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) here, players were prevented from wearing a headscarf, or hijab, at the sport's highest level for safety reasons and on religious grounds.

Critics said the ban promoted inequality at the highest level of the world's most popular game.

AFP, 5 July 2012

See also "FIFA lift ban on Islamic headscarves", Reuters, 5 July 2012

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A mum was turned away from a college parents' evening – because she was wearing a veil.

Maroon Rafique was refused entry to Manchester College by senior staff who told her there was a ban on face coverings. The mum-of-two, from Whalley Range, said she was left stunned and dismayed. She had to phone husband Abdul, who attended the meeting with their 18-year-old son Awais, while she sat in the lobby of the college's Northenden campus. Bosses at the college said that all students and visitors are asked to keep their faces visible for "safety and security" reasons.

Mrs Rafique, 40, who has worn the full veil, or niqab, for seven years, said:

"I'm born in this country and British. Why should what I wear offend anyone? I didn't want to make any fuss. All I wanted was to find out the information to help my son go to university. I offered to sit at the back or at the front, anywhere where I wouldn't be seen, if they thought I was going to offend anyone. I was really upset because whenever I've visited the college before and there's never been a problem, in fact the tutors have been welcoming and friendly."

Mrs Rafique, who is married to double-glazing firm boss Abdul, 40, and has a younger son, Ibrahim, 12, added: "I do get abuse every now and again in the street – which I just have to deal with. However, I was very surprised when I was treated this way by the college."

Business student Awais, 18, who hopes to take an accountancy course at Manchester University, said: "It was really embarrassing when they told her she couldn't come in. We've never, ever been told about any rule about what parents can wear."

A spokeswoman for Manchester College said Mrs Rafique's concerns were being taken "very seriously" following the incident. She added:

"The Manchester College provides a safe and inclusive environment that fosters development and achievement. "We apply a single dress code to all college users, including learners and visitors. At all times we need to be able to identify all individuals easily in order to maintain safety and security and therefore we ask that faces are clearly visible whilst indoors. Our dress code is reviewed through our quality improvement group and we will take this situation into account at the next review."

Manchester Evening News, 24 June 2012

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