Belgium: Teachers may be banned from wearing headscarves

Belgium: Teachers may be banned from wearing headscarves

The French Community in Belgium may forbid teachers to wear religious, political or philosophical signs in their school network. That is the advice of the Council of State to a proposal currently in parliament.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

It is a proposal by MR, which was brought to the Council of State by the parliament chairman Jean-Charles Luperto (PS).

In an advice of 40 pages, the Council emphasizes the right to freedom of speech, but also brings up the fundamental principle of neutrality of public services in Belgium. Moreover the Council says that the proposal is in line with the laws of the French community, which ban educational personnel from expressing their political, philosophical and religious convictions.

"The obligation of the community to organize neutral education and to guarantee neutrality of the public services, naturally have an impact on the behavior that educators can be asked for in the public sector. As authority figures at school, it can be expected of them that they bring their behavior and conduct in line with the neutral education of which they're part," according to the advice.

The Council of State clarified that the proposal shouldn't apply to religion teachers.

Source: HLN (Dutch)

Related posts:
* Belgium: City bans headscarves, draft law to ban burka
* Belgium: French Community schools ban headscarves
* Belgium: Headscarf ban 'promotes peace and brotherhood'
* Belgium: Teacher allowed to wear headscarf

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