Employers can ban staff from wearing headscarves, says EU court
Top European court says the veto on the 'visible wearing of political, philosophical or religious signs' is not discrimination
Employers can bar workers from wearing Islamic headscarves or any obvious religious or political symbols such as the burka, the European Court of Justice has ruled.
The court gave a joined judgment in the cases of two women in France and Belgium who were dismissed for refusing to remove their headscarves.
"An internal rule of an undertaking which prohibits the visible wearing of any political, philosophical or religious sign does not constitute direct discrimination," the court said in a statement.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
However it ruled that the company must have a policy that bars religious signals and requires employees to "dress neutrally".
If there was no such policy in place, dismissal over wearing an Islamic headscarf would constitute discrimination, it said.
The Open Society Justice Initiative, a group which supported the two women in the cases, told Reuters it was disappointed by the ruling which it said "weakens the guarantee of equality that is at the heart of the EU's anti-discrimination directive."
"In many member states, national laws will still recognise that banning religious headscarves at work is discrimination. But in places where national law is weak, this ruling will exclude many Muslim women from the workplace," said the initiative's policy officer, Maryam Hmadoun.
In Belgium, Samira Achbita was fired when, after three years of employment, she began wearing a hijab to work at the security firm G4S, reports the BBC.
The company said she had broken an "unwritten rule" prohibiting religious symbols.
The ECJ ruled that a company's wish to project a neutral image was legitimate, reports The Guardian.
In France, Asma Bougnaoui was fired from an IT company after a client requested she remove her headscarf while on their premises.
The court ruled that the Frenchwoman had suffered discrimination and that customers' wishes did not give companies an excuse from complying with EU anti-discrimination law.
The ruling comes on the eve of a Dutch election in which "Muslim immigration has been a key issue and a bellwether for attitudes towards migration and refugee policies across Europe," says Al Jazeera.
In Germany, the government is considering a partial ban on full face veils. Switzerland's upper house of parliament this week voted down similar plans to ban all veils in public places.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Nigeria's worsening rate of maternal mortality
Under the radar Economic crisis is making hospitals unaffordable, with women increasingly not receiving the care they need
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Elevating Earth Day into a national holiday is not radical — it's practical'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
UAW scores historic win in South at VW plant
Speed Read Volkswagen workers in Tennessee have voted to join the United Auto Workers union
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bizarre pizza toppings horrify Italians
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Despairing husband creates 'Taylor Swift jar'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame
Speed Read Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why a bale of straw is hanging from a London bridge
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Giraffe poo seized after woman wanted to use it to make a necklace
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Helicopter sound arouses crocodiles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman sues Disney over 'injurious wedgie'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published