A headscarf ban for Muslim women alone is illegal

The ECJ ruled that companies can ban religious symbols. However, a ban only for Muslim workers would be discriminatory.

In a recent judgment on Thursday, the ECJ sharpened the implementation of headscarf bans in private companies. According to the ruling, house rules that prohibit the wearing of religious, political or spiritual symbols are permissible, but only if such a prohibition is applied “indiscriminately” to all employees. This means that if a headscarf ban were only imposed on members of a religious community – specifically Islam – that would be discriminatory and contrary to the European Union’s equal treatment rules.