Swedish town bans Islamic headscarf in primary schools

A municipality in southern Sweden has voted to ban the Islamic headscarf in schools for children under the age of 13, in a first for Sweden.

A municipality in southern Sweden has voted to ban the Islamic headscarf in schools for children under the age of 13, in a first for Sweden.

The populist measure is part of a new ‘integration plan’ for the town of Staffanstorp, roughly 20km outside Malmö, which has been drawn up for by the center-right Moderate Party and the populist Sweden Democrats. 

 “The headscarf is a symbol that women are not available. It’s a sexualisation of women and it’s unreasonable to do that to young  girls,” Christian Sonesson, the town’s Moderate Party mayor, told a local newspaper.  “I have nothing against adult women wearing headscarves, but these are small children, little girls.” 

 The measure was voted through with seven votes in favor and four against.