German court rules against school Niqab and Burqa ban

BERLIN: The Hamburg Administrative Court in Germany ruled against an attempt to forbid a 16 year old student from wearing a niqab during class time.

Hamburg education officials had earlier ordered the girl’s mother to ensure that her daughter did not wear the veil at school. State law does not currently permit authorities to impose such a ban, the court said in a statement. The girl who is studying retail sales has a right to unconditional protection of her freedom of religion, said the statement.

Hamburg’s social-democratic education senator Ties Rabe said that to implement the ban he would seek to change state law. No matter what culture or religion prescribes everyone shows their faces openly at school, he said according to public broadcaster NDR.

According to Rabe the school authority believes it’s important that children and young people from all cultures and religions can participate in lessons in an equal way. When the face is completely veiled a line is being crossed that makes a successful learning process impossible, he said.