Re: Fwd: CAIR-NET: Louisiana Teacher Removed After Hijab Incident

oh... p.s.  i forgot to answer the question:

i think CAIR, as a national organization has a duty to protect all whom
it represents.  its role is, i would say, to improve general
understanding, and acceptance, of islam in the US.

so, in that context, CAIR must protect or stand up for the rights of any
women who choose to wear hijab.  so to say that it is religiously
mandated is a position that represents some muslim women - those who
feel that it is.  i'd say it's hard for CAIR to say islam is only one
thing or only some other thing, considering all the variations on the
ways muslims practice it, and i would bet it's a tricky position to be
in, to be a national organization for muslims in a country in which
there is very very (VERY) little understanding of anything about the
religion, not even that it's an abrahamic faith.

this is one of the problems with trying to represent diverse populations
- obviously.  and it takes a great deal of wisdom to say things in such
a way that they are as true as possible, while at the same time bringing
together rather than dividing people.  that's why it's sooooo much
easier to express one's own opinions (as i spend a good bit of time
doing) than it is to represent people, and to know that you must
relegate your own opinions to the realm of principle, while finding ways
to be a proper representative.....

representing people is a tremendously difficult task - my own
experiences with this taught me a lot about expressing everyone's view
without bias, and placing my own views into perspective as just one of
the bunch.  that does NOT mean you have to abandon anything - it just
means you have to work hard on your skills in verbal expression, and
find ways to do what you is right while not putting anyone else down.

charmi