Germany Reverses Teachers’ Hijab Ban
“This recognizes the reality of life for Muslim women in Germany and allows them to participate as equal citizens in the life of society," Nurhan Soykan, general secretary of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, said in statement cited by the Financial Times on Friday, March 13.
Sokyan was commenting on the ruling of Germany’s constitutional court that reversed the hijab ban in several states after branding it "unconstitutional".
In 2003, six out of 16 German federal states have banned hijab for school teachers.
The ban was criticized by international rights groups as being "discriminatory" against Muslim women who feel being targeted by laws that violate the very essence of their rights.
Reversing the ban, the judge said that "blanket bans on the headscarf, or other religiously mandated clothing, violated the constitutional right to religious freedom".
He added that bans on religious symbols could still be imposed on the grounds of a “concrete danger, or the disturbance of school peace”.
The ruling came in response to an appeal by two female Muslim teachers from Northrhine-Westfalia.
While one of the plaintiffs had been dismissed from her job, the other received a written warning.
Unlike Muslims, Christian and Jewish teachers are allowed to wear religious symbols in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Source: On Islam
