Belgium: Court rules against headscarf ban

BRUSSELS

A court in Belgium ruled in favor of a schoolgirl and against the headscarf ban in the Flemish Region of the country.

The school which the student had filed a case against is affiliated to a public body named GO! Education of Flemish Community. The body had decided to ban headscarf in all public schools affiliated to it in the Flemish Region of Belgium in 2013.

The Court of First Instance in the eastern Leuven city ruled that the student can go to school by wearing a headscarf.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, lawyer of the student said: "For my client, wearing a headscarf is a requirement to fulfill her religious duties. The judge decided that headscarf ban violates religious freedoms."

Last year, parents of 11 students had also filed a case against the ban in the northeastern Maasmechelen municipality and won the case.

* Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet