By Lee Rondganger and Peroshni Govender
A Muslim schoolgirl's religion requires that she wear a headscarf - but whether she can fulfil this religious obligation depends on the school's governing body.
This was the experience of 13-year-old Lamiah Khan in her first week at Sir John Adamson High School in southern Johannesburg.
Lamiah, a Grade 9 pupil at the school in Winchester Hills, was told by the principal this week that she was not allowed to wear the scarf as it was not part of the school uniform.
Lamiah said she was called to the principal's office, via the school intercom, and was ordered to remove the headscarf.
"I was told by the principal that I chose to come to this school, and that I should follow the school's rules."
The whole experience, she added, was very embarrassing.
Lamiah will be allowed to wear her headscarf for now - until the school's governing body meets to take a decision next week.
The incident comes after a recent statement by Education Minister Kader Asmal. Referring to a recent controversy in France, where pupils have been barred from wearing religious symbols such as headscarves, he said schools in South Africa should not discriminate against pupils who wore religious clothing.
Lamiah's father, Mohammed Khan, a teacher, said his daughter was told on Monday that she should get a letter from her parents requesting that she wear the scarf to school.
"I wrote a letter. But when she went with the letter, she was told that it did not mean she could wear the scarf. The school's governing body needed to make that decision," he said.
Khan feels the school is discriminating against his daughter because of her religious beliefs, and also that her wearing a headscarf is not the governing body's decision to make.
School principal RJ de Beer has declined to comment, saying the matter has been referred to the district manager, Zanele Mthembu.
"I will not be badgered into saying anything," she told The Star on Thursday.
Gauteng education department spokesperson Thebe Mohatle said that when Lamiah joined the school, her parents should have inquired about the dress code and also informed the principal about her need to wear a scarf.
"It is unfortunate that our schools are being turned into religious and political battlegrounds," he said.
"A simple issue around uniforms is now being turned into a case of discrimination."
"If the principal discriminated against Lamiah on religious grounds, she acted illegally."
However, Mohatle added, if the principal had acted in accordance with the school's code of conduct, then parents should respect that.