Excerpt:
A leading academic has called on all Catholic schools to allow their Muslim pupils to wear the hijab and tailor their uniforms to respect their religious identity.
Trinity College lecturer Dr Ali Selim said: "The hijab for Muslims is an essential aspect of character. Depriving Muslims of the right to wear hijabs is very threatening to their identity."
Although there is no legal ban on the hijab in Irish schools, Dr Selim said wearing the headscarf is a "divine obligation" for Muslim girls and urged schools to be more flexible about incorporating it as part of their uniform.