Southern Thailand Court Issues Injunction Allowing Hijabs at Buddhist School

PATTANI – The Songkhla Administrative Court has issued an injunction allowing Muslim students at a kindergarten in this southern province to wear headscarves, or “hijab”, to school without being punished.

The injunction suspended until further court decisions the enforcement of the dressing code of Pattani Kindergarten Wat Noppawongsaram on 20 students whose parents filed the petition with the court.

The move came after the Buddhist school prohibited the students to wear hijab, saying it violated the school’s rules.

The parents of the students insisted on dressing their children according to tradition, citing the constitution.

The parent of at least one of the students received a letter from the school’s administration saying it would punish her daughter for violating the school rules by issuing a written warning.

By Abdulloh Benjakat