Girls at an Islamic school in Australia have been prohibited from participating in sporting events as the principal believes that running may cause them to lose their virginity, former teachers claimed.
In a letter addressed to the education ministers this week, a former teacher alleged that female students were being discriminated against at Melbourne’s Al Taqwa College.
The teacher said that the principal, Omar Hallak , believed that there was scientific evidence that indicated that girls could become “infertile” by injuring themselves, such as break their leg while playing soccer.
The former teacher also said that Hallak forbade the female primary school cross country team from participating in a 2013 and 2014 district event.
Concerned students reacted to the decision by writing a letter to the principal, which termed the cancellation of the cross country event “unfair.”
The schools regulator, the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority, is probing the allegations about the school, which has been referred to the state and federal education authorities.
