European Court Of Human Rights Upholds Flemish Headscarf Ban In Schools

Human rights are very essential for every individual to lead their lives with freedom, dignity, and respect. Human rights comprise various other rights including the right to freedom, the right to liberty, right to freedom of speech and expression among others. One of the major Human Rights is Freedom of religion. However many rights are granted only in written sense but in practice many people don’t get the opportunity to exercise these rights. 

In Europe, the European Court of Human Rights plays a very crucial role in granting and protecting the human rights of its citizens. However the ECHR many times faces challenges due to its jurisdiction, one such instance is from its current jurisdiction when the ECHR allows the ban of scarfs in schools.

ECHR Supports The Ban Of Scarfs In School

On Thursday 16 May 2024 the European Court of Human Rights officially stated that the schools located in Flander, Northern Belgium can ban the head scarfs. The court announced that Muslim girls can wear the scarf during their religious classes but are not allowed to wear the scarfs during other subjects.

3 Girls Protest Against This Jurisdiction

After the official announcement, 3 Muslim girls started the protest to fight for their rights but the ECHR upheld the ban and said that any religious symbols are not supported by Flemish schools.

ECHR said, “ The Court has noticed in the present case that the ban on scarfs does not concern the Islamic veil but is applied to all things related to belief”. The court said its ruling is final.