"British Schoolgirl Wins Right to Wear Muslim Dress"

"A 15-year-old Muslim girl won the right Wednesday to wear full Islamic dress at her British school in the latest European case pitting the religious rights of minority communities against Western ways of life.
Widening a gulf between Britain and continental Europe on the issue, the Court of Appeal upheld Shabina Begum's case against her school's refusal to let her wear a jilbab, which covers the whole body except for hands and face.
Speaking outside court, Begum, of Bangladeshi origin, said she was a victim of what she called a general vilification of Islam since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States."As a young woman growing up in post-9/11 Britain, I have witnessed a great deal of bigotry from the media, politicians and legal officials," she said.
"This bigotry resulted from my choice to wear a piece of cloth ... It is amazing that in the so-called free world I have to fight to wear this Islamic dress." ...
"Our belief in our faith is the one thing that makes sense in a world gone mad. A world where Muslim women, from Uzbekistan to Turkey, are feeling the brunt of policies guided by western governments," Begum added in her statement Wednesday.

'I sincerely hope, therefore, that my small victory -- to gain an education -- brings hope to millions of Muslim women round the world.'"
(Andrew Cawthorne, Reuters, 2005/03/02)

so inspiring........