European Court Of Human Rights Upholds Flemish Headscarf Ban In Schools

Human rights are very important for everyone to survive with freedom, dignity, and respect. These rights includes various freedoms, adding the right to liberty, freedom of speech and expression, and freedom of religion. However, there are many rights that are preserved in law, in practice, many people are not able to utilize them properly.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) plays a very severe role in sustaining and safeguarding the rights of its citizens. Even after the efforts, the ECHR occasionally faces difficulty because of its jurisdiction. A latest example includes the ECHR's decision to grant the ban on headscarves in schools.

ECHR Supports Headscarf Ban in Schools
On Thursday, May 16, 2024, the European Court of Human Rights officially announced that schools in Flanders, Northern Belgium, may ban headscarves. The court ordered that Muslim girls are allowed to wear headscarves through out religious classes, but they are not allowed to wear them for other subjects.

Protest Against the Ruling
After the announcement, three Muslim girls started protesting for their own rights. However, the ECHR sustained the ban, claiming that Flemish schools doesn't support any religious signs.

The ECHR stated, “The Court notes in the present case that the ban on headscarves does not target the Islamic veil specifically but applies to all religious symbols.” The court stressed that the decision is final.