Employers can ban headscarf, rules European court

The European Court of Justice this morning ruled that employers can legally ban staff from wearing religious symbols, including the Islamic headscarf, or hijab. The ban does not constitute discrimination, according to the Court, so long as it applies to all political, philosophical and religious signs, and does not target just one religion.

The ruling comes in the case of two Muslim women, one in Belgium and one in France, who were fired after refusing to take off their headscarves during work. It is the first case of its kind amid a worldwide dispute over the right for Muslim women to wear the hijab at work, and sets an important precedent regarding the prohibition of other religious symbols in the workplace.