Buddhist monks seek hijab ban for schoolgirls

Myanmar is proposing to ban Muslim schoolgirls from wearing headscarves

A group of Buddhist monks in Myanmar is proposing to ban Muslim schoolgirls from wearing headscarves, in the latest sign of growing religious tension in the country.

A panel of monks known locally by the acronym Ma Ba Tha, said the headscarves were “not in line with school discipline”.

Ma Ba Tha came together and held a conference in Rangoon over the weekend. More than 1,300 monks from monasteries around the country gathered to discuss plans to promote a nationalist agenda as the country heads toward landmark elections later this year.

In a report in the Guardian, Ma Ba Tha prepared a list of recommendations, and have told its members to lobby the government to put insist on further restrictions on the country’s Muslims, and included references to the wearing of either headscarves or burqas.