Senior EU lawyer backs workplace ban on Muslim headscarves
Firms should be free to prevent staff from wearing any garments making a religious or political statement, says Juliane Kokott
Jennifer Rankin in Brussels
Tuesday 31 May 2016 13.59 EDT
Companies should be free to ban Muslim women from wearing headscarves at work if they have a general policy barring all religious and political symbols, a senior EU lawyer has said.
A headscarf should be seen no differently to a Jewish kippa, a Sikh turban or a Christian wearing a prominent crucifix or a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “Jesus is great”, said Juliane Kokott, an advocate general at the European court of justice.
Companies should be entitled to prevent staff from wearing any garments making a religious, political or philosophical statement, she said, in the run-up to a landmark ruling expected from the EU’s highest court this year.
The advocate general’s opinion is not binding, but the court’s judges often follow such pronouncements in their final ruling.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/31/senior-eu-lawyer-backs-workplace-ban-on-muslim-headscarves
