Norway: Hijab allowed with police uniform

Norway: Hijab allowed with police uniform

Women in the police will now be allowed to use the hijab with their police uniform.  This is the conclusion in the directorate's recommendation to the justice ministry, reports Aftenbladet.no.

Police commissioner Ingelin Killengreen explains the decision saying that they want to recruit widely and ensure that the police represents all of society, regardless of outlook on life and ethnicity.

(..)

The question of wearing a hijab in the police came up last October.  23 year old Keltoum Hasnaoui Missoum from Sandnes in Rogaland, originally from Algeria, sent a letter to the police directorate asking how it will be accepted if she wore a hijab with her police uniform.

The army permits wearing a hijab.  The Hijab is also permitted with a police uniform in the UK and the US.

The police's union had argued the entire time that the hijab doesn't belong with the uniform.  Arne Johannessen, head of the union, acknowledged that wearing a hijab could make it easier for the police to contact Muslim women, but thinks that the argument fails when it comes to the principle of the case.

Source: VG (Norwegian)

See also: Cambridgeshire: First police officer with hijab

No comments: