Abstract

Legal recognition of Rastafari as a religion is a crucial step in enabling its adherents to enjoy the full scope of their religious freedom. This article considers and critiques the legal implications of the High Court of Kenya’s decision in JWM (alias P) v Board of Management O High School. In JWM, the headteacher of a secondary school decided that a Rastafarian girl who wore dreadlocks for religious reasons should be excluded from the school and only be readmitted once she had cut them as her hairstyle breached school rules. The High Court concluded that this was a violation of the student’s right to education and religious freedom. Though welcoming the JWM verdict as legally correct, this article reflects critically on how the Court arrived at its conclusion. It reviews the High Court’s reasoning in JWM and offers a constructive analysis of the likely effect of JWM on Kenyan education institutions and their uniform policies. The article advocates the need for principled, context-sensitive and methodical approaches to adjudicating freedom of religion claims so as to protect the rights of religious believers and secularists alike.

中文翻译：

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揭开肯尼亚学校辫子纠缠的法律僵局：宪法，拉斯塔法里教徒和宗教自由

摘要

法律承认拉斯塔法里是一种宗教，这是使其信徒享有全部宗教自由的关键一步。本文考虑并批评了肯尼亚高等法院在JWM（alias P）诉管理委员会O高中的裁决中的法律含义。在JWM中，一所中学的校长认为，出于宗教原因穿着长发lock的拉斯塔法里女孩应从学校中排除，并且只有在发型因违反学校规定而被剪下后才重新录入。高等法院的结论是，这侵犯了学生的受教育权和宗教自由权。虽然欢迎JWM判决在法律上是正确的，因此，该文章批判性地反映了法院是如何得出结论的。它回顾了高等法院在JWM中的推理，并对JWM对肯尼亚教育机构及其统一政策的可能影响提供了建设性的分析。文章主张有必要采取有原则的，因地制宜的和有条理的方法来裁定宗教信仰自由，以保护宗教信徒和世俗主义者的权利。