Turkey criticises European court’s ruling on headscarf ban

Ankara says the ban on staff in Muslim headscarves is Islamophobic

Young women in headscarves attend a pro-Turkish government rally outside city hall in Istanbul in 2017. AFP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman on Sunday condemned an EU court decision allowing employers to ban staff wearing Muslim headscarves.

“The decision by the European Court of Justice on headscarves in the workplace is another blow to the rights of Muslim women with headscarves and will play right into the hands of those warmongers against Islam in Europe,” Ibrahim Kalin tweeted.

“Does the concept of religious freedom now exclude Muslims?”

The European Court of Justice on Thursday ruled that companies can ban employees wearing religious or political symbols if they “desire to pursue a policy of political, philosophical and religious neutrality with regard to its customers or users".

The ruling applies to any symbols where there is a “genuine need” for a ban.

The Luxembourg court’s ruling reaffirms a 2017 decision. The case has been seen as contradicting a European Court of Human Rights decision from 2013 that allowed Christian crosses to be worn at work.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that the latest decision came as “Islamophobia, racism and hatred that have taken Europe hostage are rising", and that it "disregards religious freedom and creates a basis and legal cover for discrimination".

Mr Erdogan’s government often criticises western institutions for what it calls attacks on Muslim citizens’ rights.