Roman Catholic School sparks row after telling parents of four-year-old Muslim girl she cannot wear a headscarf in lessons

• St Clare's Roman Catholic School in Handsworth say hijab breaches their policy
• Row dragged onto social media, dividing politicians and women's rights activists
• Father called senior councillor, who says the ban breaches equalities legislation 
• But other councillor admits there is no religious requirment for girl to wear hijab 

A Roman Catholic School has found itself at the centre of a social media storm after telling parents of a four-year-old Muslim girl she should not wear the hijab to school.

St Clare's School in Handsworth, has a strict uniform policy, including no headwear or scarf and asked parents of the girl to respect it.

The row has now divided senior councillors and women's rights activists who have been locked in a row over Facebook and Twitter.

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St Clare's School in Handsworth, has a strict uniform policy, including no headwear or scarf and asked parents of the girl to respect it

But her father called on Birmingham City Council's Labour cabinet member for equalities Waseem Zaffar to intervene causing the row to erupt.

Councillor Zaffar wrote that he had met with the head teacher and told her the ban on the scarf was against the equalities act.

He added: 'I'm insisting this matter is addressed asap with a change of policy.'

But his cabinet colleague Coun Majid Mahmood (Hodge Hill) countered that as a faith school St Clare's is 'maybe within its rights to insist upon a particular dress code,' just as a Muslim faith school 'may require girls to wear headscarves'.

Dr Mashuq Ally, a former head of equalities for Birmingham City Council, agreed that there is no religious requirement for girls of infant school age to wear the hijab.

He also pointed out that a faith school is allowed to set its own uniform policy and exempt from discrimination legislation.

Where there are demographic changes which lead to a significant number of Muslim children attending a Christian school, then the parents should ask the school governors to consider changing the uniform policy he explained.

He added: 'I also would have thought a Muslim parent would have thought very carefully about sending their child to a Roman Catholic school and considered the uniform policy.

'This should have all been discussed between school and parent, not been dragged into the public and political arena.'

Campaigner Gina Khan attacked Councillor Zaffar on Twitter, accusing him of backing male parents who enforce the hijab on little girls as a means of control.

She said: 'Hijab isn't compulsory for a child in Islam, but patriarchal biradari power used to control Muslim school girls.'

Councillor Brigid Jones, cabinet member for children, families and schools, said: 'Each school's governing body is responsible for the creation and implementation of its own uniform policy.

'However, the local authority is supporting the school to ensure its policy is appropriate, in line with legal requirements, and we are engaging with all schools to remind them of their responsibilities when it comes to setting school uniform policies.'