German court rules in favor of headscarf freedom

A German court reached a landmark decision on Thursday when it ruled in favor of a Muslim woman in Berlin who faced employment discrimination because of wearing a headscarf. The woman who was wearing a headscarf claimed that she faced discrimination when she was denied a job at a dental clinic in Berlin after refusing to remove her headscarf at work although she had all the required qualifications for the position. The young woman, whose name was not disclosed, then filed a criminal complaint claiming that her freedom of religion was violated when she was denied the job. A labor court in Berlin concluded that the woman was illegally discriminated against based on her religion, marking the first such ruling in the country. The court also ordered the dentist who refused to employ the young woman to pay a fine equivalent to three months' salary in compensation to the woman, citing his violation of the principle of equal treatment. Meryem Hashemi Yekani, the woman's lawyer, said that the ruling is very significant for women in Germany who have difficulty finding a job because they wear the headscarf.