The EU court already ruled in 2017 that companies may ban staff from wearing Islamic headscarves and other visible religious symbols under certain conditions, sparking a backlash among faith groups. Headscarf bans for women at work have been a hotly contested issue in Germany for years, mostly with regard to aspiring teachers at state schools and trainee judges. Elsewhere in Europe, courts have also had to look into where and how headscarves can sometimes be banned at work. France, home to Europe's largest Muslim minority, prohibited the wearing of Islamic headscarves in state schools in 2004. However, Austria's constitutional court has ruled that a law there banning girls aged up to 10 from wearing headscarves in schools was discriminatory.

Source: Standard Digital July 15, 2021 09:00 UTC