Retracting a judgment that was made in 2003, the German Constitutional Court revealed its decision to allow female Muslim teachers to wear the veil.
According to Christine Lüders, a leading member of the Association of German teachers (DL), cited by MAP, the decision of the Constitutional Court is “problematic because it undermines the principle of political and religious neutrality in schools and public services.”
“We fear that this causes problems in some schools if, for example, non-Muslim parents refuse to allow veiled teachers to give classes to their children,” said Josef Kraus, president of the DL.
On the other hand, an official of the Alternative right party for Germany (AFD), Alexander Gauland said that the judgment was “wise, since the crucifixes are allowed in German schools and the Islamic veil in general is not a sufficient concrete threat to peace in the institutions and the neutrality of the state. “
“It’s a great day to religious freedom,” rejoiced for his part MP, Green Volker Beck.
After studying the case of a banned Muslim teacher because of wearing a veil, the Court of Karlsruhe now believes that religious symbols can only be prohibited if they represent a “real risk” for the proper functioning institutions.
