Germany: A Muslim teacher replaced her head-scarf

Germany: A Muslim teacher replaced her head-scarf

A Muslim teacher who replaced her head-scarf with a beret pulled down over her ears has been fired from school.

The teacher, who tried to preserve her religious values and at the same time follow Germany’s social norms, lost a lawsuit Friday against a German state which banned religious head-dress from public schools; IRNA reported.

Presiding judge Heike Menche of a labor tribunal in the western city of Dusseldorf upheld a pre-dismissal warning issued to the woman, 35, who trains children in life skills at a city school. The woman adopted the pink beret after North Rhine-Westphalia state followed the example of Turkey and France by outlawing headscarves in public schools, saying they were a sectarian symbol.

This is while an estimated 3.2 million of the 82 million people in Germany have an Islamic heritage.

The woman denied her beret was religious and said she wore it for cultural reasons, since she felt “undressed” when bare-headed.

Eight of sixteen states in Germany including the capital have banned Islamic head scarves from public schools.