The European Court gives employers the right to ban wearing headscarves

The European Union's Supreme Court has decided on Thursday that companies can prevent Muslim employees from wearing headscarves under certain conditions.

But the Luxembourg-based court said in its decision that courts in the bloc's 27 member states should assess whether the ban corresponds to a real “ ” on the part of the employer. They should also consider the rights and interests of employees, including in taking into account national legislation on freedom of religion.

The case went to the European Union's Court of Justice from two women in Germany, who were suspended after they started wearing Islamic clothing.

Both Muslim women, a caretaker for special needs at a child care center in Hamburg run by a charity association and a cashier in the pharmacy chain Mueller, had not put a headscarf on when they started working but decided to do it years later.

They said that they were not allowed to wear such clothing and suspended, asking them to go to work as they had done earlier or find another job. / AP