16-year-old girl barred from school for wearing hijab in Spain

Madrid, Apr 16(ANI): A 16-year-old schoolgirl, Najwa Malha, has been banned from classes in Spain after she refused to remove her hijab (Islamic headscarf).

Malha has been excluded from classes at Camilo Jose Cela School in Madrid after being told that her hijab was in violation of the school dress code.

The school said in a statement that its internal regulations bar 'the use of hats and any other article of clothing that cover the head'.

"I feel totally discriminated against," The Telegraph quoted Malha, as saying.

The 16-year-old, who was born in Spain to Moroccan parents, said she alone took the decision to wear the headscarf to school last February 'against the advice of her mother'.

It is believed that Malha's classmates have supported her decision, but regional authorities have backed the school.

Meanwhile, Association of Moroccan Workers and Immigrants in Spain has condemned the school's decision.

"For the past several weeks Najwa Malha cannot go to class in her school, which is contrary to her right to a basic education guaranteed by the constitution," said Kamal Ramoini, the association's head.

It is the second such case to come to light in Spain. Last November, a Muslim lawyer was ejected from a Spanish court, where she was defending a client, because she refused to remove her headscarf. (ANI)