Headscarf ban ‘not observing’ freedom of religion

Civil rights advocates said the headscarf ban ruling by the European Court of Justice did not appear to “place weight on the importance of freedom of religion”.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties was responding to a landmark ruling by the ECJ, the EU's highest court, on the EU directive on equal treatment in employment and occupation.

A Belgium Muslim woman had sought the court's ruling on whether the prohibition on wearing an Islamic headscarf, which arose from a general company policy, constituted direct discrimination.