Ban on teachers' religious dress could be repealed

SALEM, Ore. – Teachers wearing turbans, head scarves or any kind of religious dress are currently banned from teaching in Oregon public schools.

The law banning such attire dates back to the 1920s, when the Ku Klux Klan influenced local lawmakers to pass the law prohibiting Oregon teachers from wearing such displays of religion in the classroom.

Sava Ahmed, who is Muslim, was one of several people to testify before state lawmakers urging them to repeal the law. Ahmed compared the ban against religious dress to employers requesting teachers to change the color of their skin.

Detractors said students could be influenced or "proselytized" if teachers are allowed to wear religious symbols and clothing in class. Those detractors include an unlikely source: The American Civil Liberties Union.

"Parents and their students want to feel safe in the schools, no matter what their religious belief," said Andrea Meyer of the ACLU. "The school is a place that is religiously neutral."

Meyers went on to say: "Someone can wear something and say absolutely no words and yet convey a very strong message. And different people hear different things."

However, those opposing the ban disagree with the ACLU's assertions. To many, wearing the dress required by their religions serves as a symbol of America – material proof of a First-Amendment-promised right to  "free exercise of religion."

That's the view of Laleh Zahedi, a practicing Muslim who wants to teach at an Oregon public school. These jobs will be closed to her as long as the ban is in place.

"My head scarf," she said, "does not make me any more likely to preach to students than, say, a Christian."