Antwerp bans Muslim head scarves

A head scarf ban for municipal counter clerks in the northern Belgium port city of Antwerp has raised protest from Muslims and women activists, officials said today.

The city council decided late yesterday that civil servants dealing directly with the public should not wear visible religious symbols like a Muslim head scarf or a Christian cross. Some 150 mostly Muslim women protested the decision late yesterday, and the organisers said they were considering further action.