A heated debate has once again arisen in the news and on social media across Europe over the wearing of the hijab at work. This debate has continued for a long time, but the status of Muslim women in Europe has not improved as the discussion has progressed. Article 18 of the UN’s 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states the following: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.” Unfortunately, the content of this article has not been upheld in Europe or in the European Union either.
Most recently, the EU Court of Justice ruled on the matter this summer, addressing the dismissal of two Muslim women from their jobs. One of the women worked as a cashier for a pharmacy chain, and the other as a carer for children with special needs at a daycare centre. In neither case did the hijab harm others in the workplace or cause any dangerous situations. The hijab has never previously prevented Muslim women from working. This is therefore a matter of trampling on the rights of a religious minority in France, home to one of the largest Muslim communities in all of Europe. This is also reflected in France’s other political decisions, such as the decision to ban hijabs in state schools.
As long as one’s own religious practice does not hurt anyone, there is nothing wrong with it, and it does not justify any kind of restriction. Everyone deserves the peace to believe or not to believe. As long as you do not force your religion on others at work or endanger the shared working environment, dismissal is not a justified decision on any level. This EU Court of Justice ruling, which gives employers the right to dismiss, for example, a Muslim woman solely because of her clothing, takes away from many skilled women the opportunity to practise their own profession and act as full members of society. Overturning this ruling could boost employment. The current situation weakens the position of Muslim women within the family in particular, if they have no access to their own source of income and independence. Europe and the EU’s member states must be places of equality to live in for people of all genders, regardless of religious conviction.
Nella Salminen
JEF Helsinki, Board Member
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+358 40 187 3421