Islamic dress in Europe

The Foreign Ministry strongly condemned a law that prohibits Muslim women from wearing the headscarf in France while accompanying their children during school trips.
In a statement released on Oct. 31, the ministry warned French officials that the ban could ignite discrimination against Muslims.

France's upper house of the parliament on May 16 adopted a bill that prohibits mothers from wearing headscarves while accompanying the students on school trips.

Denmark will join other European countries banning full-face covering, including Islamic veils such as the niqab or burqa.

Jakob Ellemann-Jensen of Denmark’s liberal party that leads a center-right governing coalition says a law proposal was not aimed at any religions or a ban of scarfs, turbans or kippa, the traditional Jewish skull cap.

Denmark looks set to become the next European country to restrict the burqa and the niqab, worn by some Muslim women, after most parties in the Danish parliament backed some sort of ban on facial coverings, reported Reuters. 

The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday upheld a Belgian ban on wearing the full-face niqab veil in public, AFP reported.

The court ruled that the restriction sought to guarantee social cohesion, the "protection of the rights and freedoms of others" and that it was "necessary in a democratic society", a statement said.

The Norwegian government on Monday proposed a bill to ban the full-face Muslim veil in all schools, from nurseries to universities, saying it hinders communication between students and teachers.

Turkey will provide legal support to Turkish citizens living in France and Belgium after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that European firms can ban employees from wearing religious or political symbols, including the Islamic headscarf. 

When I mentioned the European Court of Justice's March 14 ruling that companies can ban headscarves and other religious symbols in the workplace, one cabinet minister told me: "This is Europe's Feb. 28," referring to Turkey's Feb. 28, 1997 "post-modern coup" era when similar decisions prevailed. 

European companies can ban employees from wearing religious or political symbols including the Islamic headscarf, the EU's top court ruled on March 14 in a landmark case.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) said it does not constitute "direct discrimination" if a firm has an internal rule banning the wearing of "any political, philosophical or religious sign."   

It is also considering a more general ban on state employees wearing the headscarf and other religious symbols.
The measures are seen as an attempt to counter the rise of the far-right Freedom Party, whose candidate narrowly lost last month’s presidential vote.
The centrist coalition nearly collapsed last week amid crisis negotiations over the government’s future direction.