In March 2017, right-wing politicians across Europe welcomed a ruling by the EU's highest court which allowed companies to effectively ban employees from wearing visible religious symbols, including hijabs. In its first decision on the issue of women wearing Islamic headscarves in the workplace, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg had ruled that religious garments could be banned; but only as part of a general policy barring all religious and political symbols.

QUESTION: The neutral policy requirement leaves open how far employers can go — worth probing whether the neutrality carve-out actually protects Muslim women in practice. XREF: Connects to broader debates about secularism, religious accommodation in workplace law, and European right-wing politics.

Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Gl…, loc. 458