NORWAY’S POLICEWOMEN IN SCARF

The Norwegian government announced that it will allow Muslim women police officers if they choose to wear the Islamic headscarf. “After advice from police management, it has been decided that rules on police uniforms will be modified to allow for the wearing of a religious scarf with the uniform,” the justice ministry said in a statement. The police management said it was in favour of permitting the scarf to be worn with the uniform in order to improve the possibility of recruiting in Norway’s Muslim community. “We think it’s necessary to recruit widely and to develop a police force which reflects all classes in society, regardless of beliefs and ethnicity, which is more important than demanding a neutral uniform,” wrote police chief Ingelin Killengreen. Several other European countries, including Sweden and Britain, have already allowed the wearing of religious head gear by their police officers.