Europe’s apex court, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), has given a crucial verdict as far as the hijab is concerned. The CJEU has stated that the private companies across 27 countries in Europe can ban the wearing of the hijab at workplaces. The court noted that if the companies have imposed a ban on any item which covers the head or the face, then the same rule can be applied to the hijab as well, and this ban does not hurt religious sentiments in any form. It was further added that it is the right of the companies to bring in place a dress code, keeping in mind the requirements of the work.
The verdict followed the petition filed by a trainee working in a company in Belgium, wherein she had said that she had joined the company as a trainee for 6 weeks, and the company had asked her to remove her hijab before entering. It is important to note that it is the rule of the company that no employee can enter the workplace wearing things like hats, caps, and scarves, and while the trainee wears a hijab, the company considered it a type of scarf.
The trainee then filed a case at a court in Belgium, and because the company is registered as per EU rules, the matter reached the CJEU. The CJEU, in turn, has made it clear that a private company has the right to make a dress code.
