Spanish Court Rules in Favor of Student Barred from Wearing Hijab at School

Spanish Court Rules in Favor of Student Barred from Wearing Hijab at School
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An administrative court in the Spanish city of Logroño, capital of the La Rioja region in northern Spain, has ruled that preventing a Muslim student from wearing a hijab at her secondary school violated her constitutional right to freedom of religion.

Administrative Court No. 2 in Logroño issued a partial ruling in favor of a 17-year-old student enrolled in the first year of the International Baccalaureate program at Práxedes Mateo Sagasta Institute, the only school in the region offering the program.

The case dates back to September 15, when the student was barred from entering class for refusing to remove her hijab. She was temporarily excluded from lessons and later returned to school without wearing it in order to continue her studies.

School administrators had relied on internal regulations banning the wearing of “caps, hats, hoods and similar items” inside school buildings. The court, however, found that equating the Islamic hijab with such items was an “overly simplistic, superficial and inappropriate” interpretation.

The ruling stressed that the hijab is not merely an aesthetic or decorative item but a clear expression of religious belief, and that there were no public order grounds under the law to justify restricting this right. The court warned that such an interpretation could lead to “absurd outcomes,” including banning head coverings worn for medical reasons or by members of other religious groups.

The court awarded the student €2,000 in moral damages, significantly less than the €45,000 she had sought, and noted that the ruling can be appealed before the High Court of Justice of La Rioja. It also emphasized that while educational institutions have autonomy in setting internal rules, this autonomy is not absolute and must comply with the constitution and fundamental rights.

Following the incident, fellow students organized a protest in support of their classmate, saying the ban violated the rights to education and religious expression. Spain’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion, though disputes over religious symbols in public institutions, particularly in schools, continue to generate legal and social debate.