Houda Nizam
Foreign Placement Application Screening
Position: High School Administrator
Location: Syria
Academic Year: 2007-2008
Which of these recommendations proposed by the French commission “set up to reflect upon the application of the laïcité principle” was the only one adopted by the French legislature? [1]
Adding Muslim and Jewish holidays to the school calendar
Emphasizing teaching about religion, slavery, and decolonization in North Africa
Implementing measures to improve life in immigrant neighborhoods
Banning the “veil” (a.k.a. hijab) in public schools
Fill in the blank: Former French president Jacques Chirac said that the “veil” (a.k.a. hijab) is a(n) ________ symbol. [1]
Aggressive
Personal
Laughable
Decolonial
a and d
True or False: Students in France can be expelled from school for wearing a headscarf.
Describe a past experience or possible scenario in which institutional islamophobia facilitated discriminatory behavior and intimidation (excluding Algerian educational settings):
Case study: A 6-year-old girl takes her praying clothes (a long white skirt and head cover patterned with clowns) to pray in an isolated corner of school during lunch.. Compare and contrast how a French school principal and an American school principal might respond differently.
A student wants to wear a hijab. Which option do you encourage? She should:
Change schools since the “veil” was banned in public schools under President Jacques Chirac
Show up wearing a hijab and deal with the consequences later
Transition to homeschooling
Remember that the hijab is “an ostentatious religious symbol” [2]
A student comes to school wearing a hijab. What do you say to convince her to remove it?
That covering her hair doesn’t make her a better person or a better Muslim
That the hijab doesn’t look good on her
That people like her will cause Islamist groups to take over the country
That students are not allowed to wear religious symbols, even though many of her Christian classmates wear cross necklaces
All of the above
Place in sequential order the following actions to be undertaken following a student’s refusal to take off her hijab:
Giving the student the option of removing the hijab at the school door since the school is supposedly on French territory.
Compromising by allowing the student to cover her hair with a bandana.
Threatening to make other students remove their hijab if the student continues to wear hers.
Ignoring the student and pretending you didn’t have a conversation with her
Case study: After an hour of mind games directed at pressuring a student to remove her hijab, she leaves your office crying. You shake her hand and tell her that her grandfather, a prominent businessman, is your good friend. Which ensuing scenario surprises you most?
Her mother tries to convince her to take off the hijab
Her aunt calls the recently promoted bursar, a long-time family friend, and tells him to remind you that the grandfather’s hefty donation is still warm under your seat
Her grandmother surprises the student with a cheesy slideshow and dramatic music at a big dinner gathering with people she doesn’t know, even though she didn’t want a hijab party
The student, deeply disturbed, tosses and turns all night replaying her conversation with you
Houda Nizam is a somatic mental health counselor. Her writing explores themes of belonging, love, and identity through the lens of a shiite Syrian moving between cultures and spaces with often contradicting messages about what it means to be human and what it means to be good.