The Songkhla Administrative Court has issued an junction barring Anuban Pattani School from penalising students for wearing Muslim headscarves to class.
The injunction was handed down on Oct 29 in response to a petition by 20 parents after a ban on wearing the hijab was imposed by the school in May. However, the court order came to the attention of the public only yesterday.
The ban was understood to have been signed by the school director, according to earlier news reports.
Back in May, three girls at the school were asked to attend a school meeting where they were informed of the ban on hijabs. Kadaria Hemmin, one of the parents, said she was advised to find a new school if her daughter did not comply.
The issue was brought before the Supreme Sangha Council (SSC), according to Internet Dialogue on Law Reform (iLaw).
The SSC resolved that schools located on monastic property must follow temple rules and Buddhist custom prohibits the display of obvious religious symbols. The Anuban Pattani School is located on the property of a Buddhist temple.
The Muslim Group for Peace argued the school order contravened the Education Ministry's regulations on uniforms which allows Muslim students to wear white plain headscarves or their religious uniforms.
In Pattani, dozens of parents were upset by the ban and planned to protest by having their children wear Muslim clothes to school when it opened after the holidays in May.
Angkhana Neelapaijit, a former member of the National Human Rights Commission, expressed her concern when the issue was raised in May, saying the dispute could inflame tension in the restive region.
The parents who filed the petition with the Administrative Court, which has jurisdiction over Pattani, insisted wearing the hijab to school is a practice that honours the teaching of Islam and is a right under the constitution. People are entitled to the full extent of legal protection regardless of religion, according to the parents.
Ms Angkhana pointed out that the constitution recognises freedom of religious practice as long as it does not undermine the public interest.
