High school faces First Amendment issues with Muslim Student Association's controversial event

The principal of Mason High School in Mason, Ohio has already cancelled the "Covered Girl Challenge." Earlier last week, parents received an email from the school encouraging female students to wear a hijab, or the Islamic head covering, on the same day. A couple days later, Principal Mindy McCarty-Stewart issued an apology to their community.

span style="line-height: 15.8599996566772px;">MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - The challenge, that sparked backlash, was organized by the Muslim Student Association. The Mason High School principal described it as a student-led initiative and not a school-sponsored activity as some thought. She added the email should not have come from the Student Activities Department, and she assures everyone that the school committee will put procedures into place where school emails will only be sent for school-sponsored events and not merely to support student-lead groups.

The principal decided, after some consideration and after receiving negative messages, that the event will have to be cancelled. 

The "Covered Girl Challenge," according to the email sent out to parents, was an opportunity for non-Muslim students to wear a headscarf for the whole school day. The parents who received this approached Robert Spencer, who runs the anti-extremism website, Jihadwatch.org.

Controversy broke out when Spencer published the story. He claimed victory when the school officials canceled the event. Other parents, on the other hand, are on the school's side and defending them. Some students have also expressed their interest in what it would be like to wear a scarf.

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Mariam, one of the student organizers of the event, explains that the students feel like it's actually cool to be whoever they want to be, and not have people judge them based on their hair, their color or their looks.

It was said that Mason High has affiliations to several different religious groups, and they have a significant Muslim community.
 

Tracey Carson, Mason High School's spokesperson said in an interview, they want their students to educate their community by taking on leadership roles.

Mason High got first-hand a First Amendment lesson for having to come up with this activity. The First Amendment actually guarantees freedom of religion, but it also means that the government cannot sponsor or endorse a particular religion.

The spokesperson of the school added that Mason High School is a vibrant and diverse community, and if the students want to organize an event, they are welcome to do so.

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