German Court Bans Face Veils in School

(Bavaria, Germany)

A court in Bavaria has banned a school pupil from wearing a face veil during lessons, rejecting her argument that she had a constitutional right to do so.

The 18-year-old Muslim pupil had been shut out of lessons at a state run vocational college near Regensburg for refusing to remove her niqab, a garment which covers the hair and face leaving only the eyes visible.

She took the matter to court, arguing that the ban was a contravention of her constitutional right to religious expression.[…]

Judges found that the right of the state to educate took priority over the pupil's right to religious expression.

The court ruled that effective teachers need to be able to read facial expressions.