Top court rules EU gov’t offices can ban headscarves at work

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Tuesday ruled that government offices in the European Union (EU) can ban employees from wearing headscarves under certain conditions.

The court in Luxembourg said such a policy is not discriminatory as long as bans on religious symbols are applied in a “general and indiscriminate manner” to all staff and “is limited to what is strictly necessary.”

Headscarf bans have been a hotly contested issue in the EU for years.

The ECJ has already ruled several times that companies can prohibit the wearing of religious symbols in the workplace.

The latest ruling by the EU’s highest court stems from a case in Belgium in which an office manager in the town of Ans was not allowed to wear an Islamic headscarf at work.

The local municipality had changed its work regulations in order to present an image of strict neutrality.

It prohibited conspicuous signs of ideological or religious affiliation for all employees even those who, like the plaintiff, had no contact with the public.

She felt that her freedom of religion had been violated and took her case through the courts.

The judges have now decided that such rules can be lawfully imposed in order to create an impartial work environment.

However, the ECJ said the measures must be limited to what is absolutely necessary.