Tech & Rights

Workplace Ban on Headscarves Backed by Top EU Court Advisor

Employers in the EU may be able to ban Muslim staff from wearing headscarves to work if it is part of a broader prohibition on all religious symbols, said Juliane Kokott, an Advocate General to the European Court of...

by LibertiesEU
(Image: Steve Evans)

Employers in the EU may be able to ban Muslim staff from wearing headscarves to work if it is part of a broader prohibition on all religious symbols, said Juliane Kokott, an Advocate General to the European Court of Justice. The court advisor's opinion was in response to a Belgian court's request for clarification on EU anti-discrimination laws, to help decide a case in which a receptionist was fired for wearing a headscarf to work. In her opinion, which is not a binding ruling from the ECJ, Kokott says bans on religious symbols may be legitimate in order for employers to reach "neutrality."

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