Second German State Drafts Law to Ban Headscarves in Classroom

December 9, 2003

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3304801.stm

On December 9, 2003 the BBC News reported, "The government in Germany's biggest state, Bavaria, has prepared a draft law to ban Muslim teachers from wearing headscarves in schools. A Bavarian cabinet minister said the aim was to protect school pupils against fundamentalist influences. The bill is expected to be passed next year in the regional parliament, which is dominated by the Christian Social Union (CSU) party. Bavaria, after Baden-Wuerttemberg, is the second state to propose a ban. Bavarian Education Minister Monika Hohlmeier said the headscarf was increasingly used as a political symbol. 'With this law, we are defending pupils against a potential fundamentalist influence and are respecting the wishes of the majority of parents,' she said. Christian and Jewish symbols are not included in the ban. Ms Hohlmeier said these symbols reflected cultural values."