Universities say they will not ban headscarves

Over 10 universities and university colleges in Belgium reaffirmed that they will not impose a headscarf ban in class, despite the Constitutional Court recently ruling that such a ban is allowed in higher education, writes Maithé Chini for The Brussels Times.

At the start of June, the Constitutional Court of Belgium decided that the possibility of a headscarf ban was not contrary to the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. However, the possibility for a ban does not only apply to headscarves, but to all symbols expressing religious or political opinions. The decision was prompted by a complaint from a group of Muslim women who were studying at the Francisco Ferrer Brussels university college, which practises such a ban. The Brussels court, in turn, referred the case to the Constitutional Court.

The ruling saw many students and young people take to social media to protest with hashtags like #TouchePasAMesEtudes (Don’t touch my studies) and #HijabisFightBack. One Twitter user called on all universities and university colleges to reply to the tweet with a statement of whether or not they accept people wearing headscarves. “Now and not after you’ve received the entry fees,” the tweet added. Twelve higher education institutions replied to the tweet, saying that wearing a headscarf is allowed in their institutions.
Full report on The Brussels Times site