Life in Kosovo discusses about emergency situations
Tonight, Life in Kosovo will broadcast a debate on the emergency situations in our country.
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Every Thursday starting from 20:30, Radio Television Kosovo, RTK, broadcasts the TV debate show "Life in Kosovo", a joint production of BIRN and RTK.
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Life in Kosovo debates the issue of headscarves in public schools
29 July 2010 Life in Kosovo broadcast a debate about the wearing of headscarves in public institutions.
Among the questions discussed in the debate were: Who is worried about the wearing of headscarves? What are the administrative orders regarding headscarves based on? Does anyone encourage women to wear veils? Does the ban on headscarves in public schools violate human rights?
To discuss this issue, host Edona Musa was joined in the studio by Besa Ismaili-Ahmeti, Fehmije Gashi, Zana Beqiri and Xheraldina Pufja-Rexhepi.
The debate began with the question of why the headscarves issue has become so important in Kosovo recently. Mrs. Ismaili-Ahmeti agreed that it is indeed a big issue, nonetheless, it is so only superficially since “the headscarves issue is not being taken seriously at all”.
She said that the issue is ill-intentioned because it targets an already vulnerable group, that of “covered women”, threatening their rights to education and employment.
Mrs. Gashi said that it is a serious issue that must not be overlooked and must be solved by the appropriate institutions. She talked about Kosovo’s laws, which she labeled as “very European”, which, according to her, “is very good on one hand as a step towards integration into the European family, but on the other hand, challenges and limits us.”
Talking about the consequences of the headscarf ban in schools, Mrs. Ismaili-Ahmeti said that even though the level of illiteracy among women in already high, it may increase even further, making reference to some school officials who have dismissed students because they wore headscarves.
Mrs. Pufja-Rexhepi began by expressing her belief that wearing headscarves is not a requirement taught in the Qur’an, even though it is common practice in Islamic communities.
Further, she said that despite her own beliefs, she does not “think it must necessarily enter into the institutions of Kosovo, as belief in God is a very personal matter, and thus doesn’t belong in public places.”
Discussing the growing phenomenon of headscarves in Kosovo’s society, Mrs. Gashi said that there is a concern that someone may “stand behind” some of the veiled women for various reasons.
Mrs. Ismaili-Ahmeti insisted that the question should be the relationship between the citizens and the state, and between individuals and their God. She went on to explain the benefits of secular states.
She deemed the latter to be a “compromise between religious citizens and the laws produced by the state which citizens must respect. The question is whether [women] are as equal before the law as the laws say [they] are.”
Mrs. Gashi expressed her concerns that the laws passed in Kosovo do not undergo sufficient debate.
Mrs. Ismaili-Ahmeti disagreed, saying that Kosovo has good laws and tbat those laws “are far better than we are. Kosovo’s constitution is two hundred years ahead of the mentality of its peoples.”
Ms. Beqiri, while supporting citizens’ religious rights, and therefore manifestations of it as individuals desire, said that she nonetheless thinks it right to require a person to be at least 18 years old before choosing to express such things in public institutions.
Mrs. Pufja-Rexhepi supported this idea throughout the debate, and repeatedly claimed that banning headscarves is acceptable because the law addressed schools for children rather than universities.
She said that as children are easily manipulated, it is important not to leave “opportunities for manipulation open,” something she believes the law assists with.
As for the denial of schooling to children because of headscarves, Mrs. Ismaili- Rexhepi said that all the students who were treated in such a way were “excellent students with excellent manners, yet they [and their families] have been traumatised by such decisions.”
Mrs. Pufja-Rexhepi continued to insist that the girls were children and not of an age suitable to decide whether they wished to wear headscarves.
Mrs. Ismaili-Ahmeti said that she firmly believes “problems are resolved through discourse, [but] there is no communication between the girls wearing headscarves, the government, those making the laws, and those who judge. This problem is a clear case of a lack of communication.”
Mrs. Gashi said that it is a mistake if the ban is only seen as referring to Muslims, especially when speaking about the manipulation of individuals: “there are cases that I know of, such as one with some evangelical [Christians] that do the same thing, so it is not correct if we only talk about Islam.”
Despite the lack of agreement over whether children should face the consequences of decisions made by their parents or guardians, Ms. Beqiri said that they are not guilty of anything, saying that “it is their parents that must be punished…[not] the children,” referring to the expulsion of students from schools because they wore headscarves.
Another issue that arose during the debate was that of girls and women who expose their bodies in provocative ways.
Mrs. Ismaili-Ahemti said that such issues are not solved through prohibitions of certain ways of dressing. She said that women (and people in general) must be educated in order for them to be able to make educated decisions about their clothing and behaviour.
“That is part of the goal of pursuing education in schools,” she said..
In conclusion, the guests in studio were asked about their opinion on how the headscarf ban issue will end. Mrs. Ismaili-Ahmeti said that the promotion of the rule of will solve problems such as this.
She added that acts such as dismissing students from their jobs, schools, and so forth “is not only politically incorrect, but inhumane as well.”
Mrs. Gashi said that “Kosovo was and still is an example for the countries of the region, and those of Europe in general, for respecting the rights and freedoms of the people in all aspects”.
Ms. Beqiri said that she “hope[s] that Kosovo will respect the rights of everyone, including the freedom of religion, so that Kosovo can find a formula to fight the negative phenomena witnessed here.”
Mrs. Pufja-Rexhepi said that she was happy to have discussed the issue, and concluded that most of the panellists thought the administrative order was a good one.
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Mr. Malcolm talked about the history of Kosovo and the problems of identity in the region.
BIRN also broadcasts a report by researcher Faton Adem about the lack of standardisation of court certificates in Kosovo.
Life in Kosovo is a co-production between Kosovo Public Television, RTK and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN. It is broadcast every Thursday, starting at 20:20.
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The opinions expressed in Balkan Insight are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network.
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