Hernando student in hijab *would* stand for the flag. And apparently *did.*

A few days ago, I wrote about a young Muslim student at Springstead High who wouldn’t stand for the Pledge of Allegience and got a severe tongue lashing from fellow student Heather Lawrence as a result.

To repeat my stance:

Students should not be made to stand for the pledge.

Other students are allowed to disagree and voice their opinions.

However, now school officials are reporting that the student wearing a hijab did stand for the flag.

Could it be that Heather Lawrence had a racist moment? Principal Susan Duval believes Heather fabricated the story about her fellow student to justify a less-than-tolerant berating Heather felt compelled to give in high school’s hallway. So Duval shortened her suspension and now wants to put the entire incident behind them and move on.

I disagree.

If Heather Lawrence, and other students at the Hernando County high school, believed that the hijab and certainly any expression of a fundamental religious belief, be it Christian, Jewish, or Muslim, is in fact a sign of oppression and perhaps find it disturbing – they’d have a point. But they should learn to express themselves better. They should learn to listen more and talk less.

But if these future bar flies and/or gun-toting soldiers believe that this somehow makes hijab-wearers Iraqis or enemies simply because they are religious Muslims, then forgetting about it, “putting it all behind them” is only prolonging the problem.

These girls are neighbors and classmates, and school is the perfect place for them to learn from one another.

We need all students, despite differences in background and religion, to get to know each other before ignorance and fear collide and misunderstandings give way to violent outbursts. Heather has a lot of learning to do before she picks up a gun and heads for the Middle East.

Let her real education begin now.

Tags: Hernando student in hijab, stand for the flag