Chile helps Muslim girl keep hijab

The Chilean Ministry of Education has helped an eight-year-old Muslim student go back to school after she was expelled for wearing the hijab.

The parents of Jasmine visited Chile’s Education Minister Joaquin Lavin in late October to ask him to help them register their daughter who was prohibited from attending school with hijab.

Although this is the first case directly brought to the ministry, it is not the first of its kind happening in the country and it will happen again, Lavin said.

Not letting a Muslim girl wear her hijab and act according to her religion is a type of discrimination that cannot be allowed to happen, he added during his visit with Jasmine’s family at the Islamic Center of Chile.

According to the website of the Chilean Ministry of Education, Jasmine can now renew her registration for the coming year without having to put her hajib away.

Lavin also emphasized that the Ministry of Education will defend the rights of Muslims as well as the followers of other religions if any similar cases happen.