Bronwyn Bishop - Surely you jest

It appears that Bronwyn Bishop has a big mouth, even bigger hair, but little or nothing in between as she too calls for a ban on headscarfs for Muslin girls in public schools. "It has become the icon, the symbol of the clash of cultures, and it runs much deeper than a piece of cloth". As deep and a crucifix Bronny?

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/bishop-defends-headscarf-comments/2005/08/29/1125167579957.html

In a world of converging cultures, it seems to me that too many people are being panicked into losing the plot. If we are to have any hope of continuing to live together we need to start celebrating diversity, not censoring it.

I was fortunate enough to attend both a Jewish school and an Anglican school. Though at the time I surely didn't appreciate it, today I realize that having had exposure to two different religions at a young age made me a wiser person and more tolerant towards people of different cultures. I was also able to see how ignorant people exposed to only one faith were of others, and how that ignorance resulted in racism, or cultural supremacy as the German's might have put it.

We live in a multicultural society, and whether we like it or not it is here to stay. We need to educate children on the different cultures of the world so that they do not grow up fearing people with other beliefs or customs, some of whom might be living as close as next door. Public schools are a snapshot of the suburbs they educate, and it is surely ignorance of the highest magnitude to think that the separation of church and state means banning people from wearing crucifixes, kippahs, veils or turbans at school. You may as well try to ban them in public altogether. Just because the French were stupid enough to try it, doesn't mean we should. Different religions exist. We need to acknowledge them, accept them, and teach the differences to children, not try to conceal it from them. If kids can learn Calculus, Stoichiometry, Shakespeare and Australian history, then surely we can expand our RE classes to educate kids on all the major religions in our society today.

Celebrate cultural diversity, don't censor it.