German teachers stand up for Muslim student banned from wearing niqab at school
The German Education and Science Workers’ Union (GEW) has criticized a court decision that forbid a student in the city of Osnabruck from attending classes dressed in a niqab – veiled headwear attached to a full body covering.
The German Education and Science Workers’ Union (GEW) has criticized a court decision that forbid a student in the city of Osnabruck from attending classes dressed in a niqab – veiled headwear attached to a full body covering.
“A ban on full face veils is completely the wrong way,” GEW spokesperson Ilka Hoffmann told NeueOsnabruckerZeitung, a local newspaper. “We cannot exclude women from education just because they are wearing the niqab.”
The student in question, who has not been named, but is over 18 years of age, was barred from attending lessons at the Sophie Scholl night school in the western German city, for refusing to remove the garment.
The regional court ruled against a student Monday, and it is not yet clear if the student will appeal the decision at a higher-level legal body, or simply abandon her course, which is assumed to be voluntary.
