EU Court: Companies Can Fire Women Who Wear Hijab at Work

By Teddy Grant Published: July 16, 2021

EU Court: Companies Can Fire Women Who Wear Hijab at Work

A volunteer teacher gives a basic English lesson to a minority Muslim Rohingya refugees at a slum on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Oct. 11, 2020. Refugee women in Malaysia, some in their late 50s, are learning to read and write for the first time. The classes outside Kuala Lumpur are offered by the Women for Refugees group, which was formed in September by two law students to help illiterate migrant women integrate into the local community and empower them to be more than just passive wives. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

The European Union’s highest court ruled Thursday that businesses can fire or suspend women who wear headscarves who work directly with customers or if it causes workplace conflict, according to The Times.

“A prohibition on wearing any visible form of expression of political, philosophical or religious beliefs in the workplace may be justified by the employer’s need to present a neutral image towards customers or to prevent social disputes,” the court said.

The ruling stems from two cases filed by Muslim women in Germany suspended from work for wearing a hijab, The New York Times reported.

The Luxemburg-based court added that an employer must justify firing or suspending a worker who wears a headscarf if there’s a “genuine need.”

“In reconciling the rights and interests at issue, the national courts may take into account the specific context of their Member State and, in particular, more favorable national provisions on the protection of freedom of religion,” the court continued.

People online blasted the EU’s decision, saying that it promoted Islamophobia and xenophobia.

“My hijab isn’t making you uncomfortable, your racism and xenophobia is making you uncomfortable with my hijab,” LA Times reporter Johana Bhuiyan wrote.

My hijab isn’t making you uncomfortable, your racism and xenophobia is making you uncomfortable with my hijab. https://t.co/z1n735lJe2

— Johana Bhuiyan (@JMBooyah) July 15, 2021

“Some Muslim majority nations force women to wear the Hijab. Some western nations force women to remove the Hijab. It’s almost as if the problem isn’t women or the Hijab— but pathetic, insecure men who can’t live without violently forcing themselves on women,” human rights attorney Qasim Rashid wrote.

Some Muslim majority nations force women to wear the Hijab.

Some western nations force women to remove the Hijab.

It’s almost as if the problem isn’t women or the Hijab—but pathetic insecure men who can’t live without violently forcing themselves on women.? https://t.co/LpRBJc6c1s

— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) July 16, 2021