but as time goes by, more and more places have a uniform or dress code that spans both sexes, that doesn't insist on men and women dressing differently any more than they personally choose to. A uniform is supposed to remove differences and, usually, make a group of people identify as a "team". What this uniform does is remove the difference Muslim and non-Muslim (by making everyone identify with the Muslim religion whether they believe it or not), but emphasise, in a very noticeable way, the difference male and female. As for an outcry over religious symbols for boys... I think this would happen if a Sikh school insisted all boys were not allowed to cut their hair, had to wear a loose bangle on their arm and a turban on their head, and had to carry a knife (which to the non-Sikh boys would command none of the respect and "not to be used for violence" caveats it does to a devout Sikh). There would certainly be an outcry if a Jewish school insisted all boys had to be circumsised, although I realise that surgery is a lot more extreme than a bit of clothing.