Germany - School bans miniskirts because "religion" and "culture"

[Dystopia]

A school in Bavaria has sent a letter home to parents warning them not to let their daughters wear revealing blouses or short skirts, because emergency accommodation for refugees has been set up next to the gym.

 "The Syrian citizens are mainly Muslims and speak Arabic. The refugees are marked by their own culture. Because our school is directly next to where they are staying, modest clothing should be adhered to, in order to avoid discrepancies. Revealing tops or blouses, short shorts or miniskirts could lead to misunderstandings.

Once again Europeans have no problem pandering to any hypothetical and even non-existent demand just for the sake of pseudo-liberal cultural relativism nonsense. There wasn't even a request or a protest against miniskirts, I don't understand why the school assumed beforehand that refugees, probably concerned about satisfying their basic needs and getting out of Syria, would be concerned with this. It is disgusting.

"These boys, who come from a culture where for women it is frowned upon to show naked skin, follow girls and bother them without realizing. Obviously this is concerning for us," he continued.

http://www.thelocal.de/20150626/refugee-...rm-modesty


Hey Germans, what do you think of this? Is the media talking about it? If so, which view is more predominant? Pro or against?

[Chad32]

When I was in school, your shorts or skirts were expected to go down to your knees. So I don't really see an issue here. They don't have that kind of dress code everywhere?

[Ashground]

Looking after refugees = good
Changing your culture to appease their possible prejudices = nonsensical

What do the refugees care? They're alive and safe

[Dystopia]

When I was in school, your shorts or skirts were expected to go down to your knees. So I don't really see an issue here. They don't have that kind of dress code everywhere?

Hey if there's a dress code in your school which can include clothing, uniform, logos and so on it's fine and the schoolboard can pick whatever they want - but in this case we are seeing a school without any dress code changing it's rules because they're afraid some boys can't control themselves. It is humiliating to women's rights and freedom of expression.

[abaris]

The "Die Welt" link is more interesting, since the local article leaves out quite a few aspects of the original story. Such as the citizens of Pocking (the town in question) being mainly in support of the refugees and only some right-wingers trying to cash in on negative sentiments. Also it's not a ban but a simple letter of advice to the parents.

Also the article of the Passauer Neue Presse titles: "Rechte nutzen Elternbrief von Pockinger Schule für Ausländerhetze", which can be translated to "Rightwingers exploit parent advisory letter to incite xenophobia". Again, different story with a different twist.

[robvalue]

Fucking stupid.

I hate it when people decide for others what will offend them.

[rado84]

"So, those pigs come to my country and start dictating my way of life? No fucking way! If they don't like it, they're free to go back to their primitive country!"

This is what I would send back to the school as a reply if I were a parent.

[abaris]

Once again, we had that issue many times before. Read the German articles and if you can't read them, take my word for what they're saying. Which isn't as alarmistic as the posted article makes things out to be. Quite the contrary. That's the problem with taking one source as fact, since that source is obviously cherry picking to make a point.

Honestly, I don't get it. Most of you laugh at cherry picking if it is about religion and their holy books - and rightfully so. But I would expect the same skepticism when it is about an internet news source.

[Dystopia]

The "Die Welt" link is more interesting, since the local article leaves out quite a few aspects of the original story. Such as the citizens of Pocking (the town in question) being mainly in support of the refugees and only some right-wingers trying to cash in on negative sentiments. Also it's not a ban but a simple letter of advice to the parents.

Also the article of the Passauer Neue Presse titles: "Rechte nutzen Elternbrief von Pockinger Schule für Ausländerhetze", which can be translated to "Rightwingers exploit parent advisory letter to incite xenophobia". Again, different story with a different twist.

I agree with you that the far right-wing uses excuse to incite hatred - They do that all the time whether it's against Muslims or against any other minority, and they do it because of terrorist attacks or simple letters of advice.

I know this isn't a legal ban but it's the only word I could think of - It isn't just an advice as the school representatives seem to almost be commanding parents what to do. Regardless, that doesn't erase that such a letter was sent. I'm not going to stop reporting terrorist attacks or incidents like this because the right-wing will use it as an excuse, I couldn't give less fucks about them. I'm not picking on Muslims, I'm specifically saying there's certain freedoms societies shouldn't compromise and I find this advise humiliating. I could understand an advice saying "don't go to church wearing a miniskirt" - When I was in Rome, I was advised by the Vatican police to not wear sleeveless shirts myself (I'm a man) - But this seems like your ordinary school.

Additionally, I find this advise insulting because there isn't any reported incident of refugees being concerned about this, so isn't assuming they will be a form of prejudice itself?

Also sorry for the lack of sources but generally local incidents like this, specially in Europe, are hard to find in English

[Longhorn]

"So, those pigs come to my country and start dictating my way of life? No fucking way! If they don't like it, they're free to go back to their primitive country!"

This is what I would send back to the school as a reply if I were a parent.

All's well, but don't call people pigs.