LOUGHBOROUGH, July 3 (IslamOnline.net) - Muslim girls will have much to relish for the prospect of attending Burleigh Community College in Loughborough in the next academic year in September, 2004.

The multicultural, multi-faith secular school has made a special provision for students to wear their own traditional dress, provided that it is in the school colours, much to benefit Muslim girls who want to wear a traditional Islamic dress.

"Muslim girls are allowed to wear either skirts or jelbab with scarf," said John Smith, the school's principal.

Smith showed IOL correspondent the new uniform which consists of White T-shirt, option of black suit shirt or fleece with dark pants.

He said: "We strongly believe that they have a right to wear it, because we believe in integration and we hope to serve the Muslim community."

The provision was adopted by the school after wide consultations between local community and governors after tensions were reported among the pupils and in the district after the Iraq invasion.

"We celebrate the wide variety of cultures within our local area, and the relationships between communities are very good and indeed could be as a model for other cities," said Mike Jones, the Mayor of Chanerwood that includes Loughborough, where a large number of Muslims live.

The college has remained without a uniform for 25 years and the new regulation is the first in its history.

Twenty five per cent of the pupils are Muslims and girls have long been allowed to wear hijab.

But fears have run high after the court in Luton ruled last week that a girl could not wear jilbab, a loose-fitting gown worn with the hijab.

Shabina Begum stopped attending her school after she was told in September 2002 that she could not wear the dress.

Twenty five per cent of the pupils are Muslims and girls have long been allowed to wear hijab there

The students and parents welcomed the provision, deeming it a step down the road of equality.

"People in the college understand our culture," said Ayesha Mohamed, who stressed that she does not face any problem wearing the Islamic code dress in the school.

For Jornna Hussain, a graduate of the school, the new regulation is seen in terms of encouraging equality among students.

"I was asked about hijab by an English guy in the college and I explained to him what the reason for it," Jornna said.

For parents of the Muslim students, feelings of relief spread as they hope the move could be also taken in other schools in the UK.

"So far we live in (a) multicultural society, and teachers in the college are very lovely and they want to know more about our culture and religion," said Turuna Hussain, a businesswoman whose girls attend the school.

Muhammad Abd Eushahed, a primary school teacher and a father of a student in the college, welcomed the new regulation, considered the move a good step to be repeated elsewhere in the country.

He still has fears though.

"There are pressures from different parties such as the British National Party (BNP) to ban the hijab, similar to that in France," he said.

"We were disappointed about the decision of the High court in Luton," he added.

The Burleigh Community College officials said that the Islamic dress code should not draw all such a fuss.

"I do not believe in banning something unless it harms someone else. At the same time, some people do not or will not wear it, thus let them go," said Val Watts, community tutor at the Burleigh Community college.

Watts, also the school's representative at the Racial Equality council (REC), stressed that students should be encouraged to be equal and practice their own religions and cultures freely.

"I do not understand why France looks at the issue of hijab in that way?" she asked, referring to Paris' ban on Muslim girls to wear the obligatory Islamic code of dress.

The Burleigh Community College also has an Islamic society and a prayer room, among other steps that facilitate the integration of all ethnic communities in the country.

"We allow them to take responsibility for the leadership, thus they freely asked and freely given such facilities," the principle asserted.

The college provides halal food on its canteen for Muslim students.

Since November 2002, the college had begun applying emphasis and research in order to establish the enhancement of multiculturalism in the college.

Methods used include consulting parents as well as the local community, especially Muslims and the Federation of Student Islamic Societies in the UK and Ireland (FOSIS).

They also set up a school council committee consisting of the student and some teachers, allowing the students to express their needs and desires.

Additionally, they established a new training assembly with capacity of 250 persons giving students an opportunity to interact with one other and socialise.