London Mayor Denounces French Headscarf Ban, Speaks Against Media "Demonization" of Islam

July 13, 2004

Source: The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1259773,00.html

On July 13, 2004 The Guardian reported, "Ken Livingstone yesterday hosted the first conference of a campaign to safeguard the right of Muslim women to wear the hijab or headscarf, and declared the ban in French schools the most reactionary proposal since the second world war. London's mayor also railed against the 'demonisation' of Islam in some British newspapers - and warned that in his second term he would examine whether media organisations' recruitment policies reflected the diversity of the community. He was addressing the Assembly for the Protection of Hijab (known as Pro-Hijab), which holds that the right to wear the headscarf is a fundamental aspect of religious freedom."