German court rules headscarf ban must apply to nuns
Times of India | 10/10/04 | Times of India

BERLIN: A German court has ruled that a regional ban on Muslim teachers wearing headscarves in public schools must also apply to Christian nuns, news weekly Der Spiegel has reported.

The magazine wrote that the Federal Administrative Court had ruled that a law passed in April in the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg was unfair because it only applied to Muslim women yet permitted Christian symbols.

Nuns, who often work in public schools in the predominantly Roman Catholic Black Forest region of the state, will now be required to remove their habits before entering the classroom.

"Exceptions for certain forms of religiously motivated clothing in certain regions are out of the question," the federal judges of the court based in Leipzig, eastern Germany, wrote in their ruling as quoted by Der Spiegel in an advance copy of Monday's issue.

A copy of the ruling could not be obtained.

The author of the state legislation, law professor Ferdinand Kirchhof, told Der Spiegel that nuns' habits were considered to be "professional uniforms" in the region and thus exempt from the religious symbols law.

Germany's highest tribunal, the constitutional court, ruled in September 2003 that Baden-Wuerttemberg was wrong to forbid a Muslim teacher from wearing a headscarf in the classroom.

But it said Germany's 16 states could legislate independently to ban religious apparel if it was deemed to unduly influence children, which has subsequently created a patchwork quilt of varying rules throughout the country.

seems fair to me.

if government gets in the business of banning religious symbols in public institutions, it should apply to all religions, not just some. don't like it? elect better people next time.

Quoted: seems fair to me. if government gets in the business of banning religious symbols in public institutions, it should apply to all religions, not just some. don't like it? elect better people next time.

am i the only one that thinks this makes sense?

Quoted: Quoted: seems fair to me. if government gets in the business of banning religious symbols in public institutions, it should apply to all religions, not just some. don't like it? elect better people next time. am i the only one that thinks this makes sense?

there are lots of hypocrites on this issue. when it was told they were going to ban all muslim headscarves, many people were like, 'good! that'll learn 'em', but now that it is applying to catholics people are flipping shit, 'oh the humanity! what an outrage!'

Good. No point in being unfair about the whole thing. If they want to fuck with religion then all religions need an equal screwing, not just the religion of beheadings and homosexual sodomy and peace.

I think Muslum women should be able to wear head scarves as long as it doesnt cover their face.  It would be to easy to plant someone else in their place.

Catholic nuns do not cover their face.


Bobwrench

As a disaffected Catholic, I must ask:  What do you call a nun whom you hate?
                                                                  A "Nunt."

Quoted: As a disaffected Catholic, I must ask:  What do you call a nun whom you hate?                                                                   A "Nunt."

Your name suits you well.

This is what all socialist governments eventually do, as any organized religion is eventually seen as a foil to the authority of the State.