European Court upholds Belgium’s full veil ban

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) upheld Belgium’s ban on the Islamic full-face veil on Tuesday (July 11), rejecting a legal challenge by two Muslim women wearing the niqab. 

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) upheld Belgium’s ban on the Islamic full-face veil on Tuesday (July 11), rejecting a legal challenge by two Muslim women wearing the niqab. 

The court in Strasbourg, France found that the 2011 Belgian law banning clothing that partly or totally covers the face did not violate the right to respect for private and family life nor freedom of religion, and that it did not disproportionately discriminate the Muslim community. 

In its ruling, the court argued that the ban, however controversial, was “necessary in a democratic society” – because it seeks to guarantee the conditions of “living together” and the “protection of the rights and freedoms of others.”