Skip to main content

U.S. 8-Year Old Muslim Girl Has Hijab Ripped Off by Substitute Teacher



An 8-year-old’s hijab was allegedly forcibly removed by a substitute teacher. (Photo: Getty Images)

An 8-year old girl allegedly had her hijab ripped off her head by a substitute teacher in her Bronx, N.Y., elementary school, the New York Post reports.

According to the substitute teacher, 31-year old Oghenetga Edah, the girl was sitting in the teacher’s chair in the classroom and refused to get out, and she was generally misbehaving in class. Edah claims he tapped the girl on the arm, asking her to move, but she declined. That’s when he told her he was going to remove her hijab, which he did so forcefully that her right eye was injured in the process.

“It was scary,” she told the Daily News. Her father, Mohamed Alzockary, a grocer from Yemen, added, “I didn’t expect a teacher to do that to a child. She’s OK right now … but kids, they’re nervous.”

Edah was immediately removed from the school and fired as soon as the incident was reported. A Department of Education called the alleged incident “completely unacceptable.”

Hijab is both the name of the practice and the name of the veils worn by some Muslim women in accordance with their religious belief. A hijab veil is typically a loose-fitting headscarf worn in public by Muslim women who engage in the practice.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), both the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution bar federal and state governments from making laws or rules that specifically prohibit women from practicing hijab. The 14th Amendment also bars federal and state officials, as well as some private entities, from discriminating against women who choose to practice hijab in accordance with their religious beliefs.


The ACLU also reports that Muslim women who practice hijab are more likely to experience discrimination than those who don’t, with 69 percent of hijabi women reporting at least one incident of discrimination compared with 29 percent of Muslim women who do not practice hijab and have incurred at least one incident of discrimination.

In the wake of the election of President Trump, there has been a rash of reported incidents involving hijabi women experiencing harassment across the country — including in schools. In February, a young woman at a Houston-area high school reported being told by her school that she would be required to provide a written note from a religious cleric to be permitted to wear her hijab at school. The school superintendent tweeted an apology after news of the “hijab permission slip” went public.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Four Armed Robbery Suspects Killed In Shootout With Police In Songwe

  “This is Vwawa Bus Stand, where the incident occurred in which armed robbers shot and killed a security guard before fleeing with various items.” Songwe. Four suspected armed robbers have been shot dead following a confrontation with police in Songwe Region after allegedly being involved in a violent raid on a mobile phone and financial services shop in Vwawa town, Mbozi District, in which a security guard was killed. According to a statement issued today, December 30, 2025, by the Songwe Regional Police Commander, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SACP) Augustino Senga, the incident occurred at around 3:30 a.m. The suspects reportedly stormed the shop, owned by businessman Gabriel Msemwa, at the Vwawa main bus stand, killed the guard, William Mwampashi (45), and fled with assorted items. The deceased suspects have been identified as Bruce Mwasenga, Eliuta Mapunda, Abdul Chiba, and Justine, known by a single name. SACP Senga said police immediately launched intensive, inte...
Post a Comment
Read more

JAB Yawasogeza Huduma Waandishi Iringa, Yaomba Ushirikiano Kudhibiti Waandishi Wasioidhinishwa

Iringa. Bodi ya Ithibati ya Waandishi wa Habari (JAB) imeendelea na jitihada za kusogeza huduma zake kwa waandishi wa habari nchini, safari hii ikifika katika Klabu ya Waandishi wa Habari Iringa (Iringa Press Club – IPC), ikiwa ni sehemu ya mkakati wa kuboresha tasnia ya habari na kulinda taaluma ya uandishi wa habari. Akizungumza wakati wa kikao na waandishi wa habari mkoani Iringa, Kaimu Mkurugenzi Mkuu wa Bodi ya Ithibati ya Waandishi wa Habari (JAB), Wakili Patrick Kipangula, amesema lengo la ziara hiyo ni kutoa elimu kuhusu majukumu ya bodi, mchakato wa ithibati pamoja na kusikiliza changamoto zinazowakabili waandishi wa habari ngazi ya mikoa. Wakili Kipangula amesema bado kuna changamoto ya uwepo wa watu wanaojihusisha na shughuli za uandishi wa habari bila kuwa na ithibati halali, hali inayochafua tasnia na kuhatarisha maadili ya kazi hiyo nyeti. “Tunawaomba waandishi wa habari kushirikiana na Bodi kwa kuwafichua watu wanaojitambulisha kama waandishi bila kuwa na ithiba...
Post a Comment
Read more

MUCE IMPLEMENTS SH18.6 BILLION PROJECT IN HONOUR OF FATHER OF THE NATION’S VISION

Iringa. As Tanzania marks 26 years since the passing of the Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere — a passionate advocate for education — Mkwawa University College of Education (MUCE), a constituent college of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), continues to successfully implement the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) Project worth over Sh18.6 billion. Speaking to journalists in Iringa, MUCE Principal Prof Method Samwel Semiono said the project, implemented by the government through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, aims to reform the higher education system so it can directly contribute to the country’s economic transformation. “The five-year project (2021/2022–2025/2026) is funded by the World Bank and focuses on curriculum improvement, infrastructure development, human resource capacity building, inclusive education and gender equality, as well as promoting the use of ICT and digital learning,” explained Prof Semiono. He no...
Post a Comment
Read more