German federal court bars teacher from wearing Muslim headscarf in class

BERLIN - A German federal court on Thursday upheld rulings prohibiting Muslim teachers from wearing headscarfs in class, saying students' and parents' right to neutrality in schools overrides individual religious freedom.

Ferestha Ludin, 30, a German of Afghani origin, has fought for two years against a decision by school officials in Baden-Wuerttemberg state not to employ her because she insisted on wearing a headscarf during lessons.

Religious freedoms are anchored in the German constitution, but the Federal Administrative Court in Berlin found that the relationship between students and teachers from different religions could be disrupted if teachers display their religious identity.

Courts across Germany in other cases also have sided with school officials to prevent teachers from wearing Muslim headscarves.

Ludin, who now teaches at a private Islamic school in Berlin, lost cases also before state courts in Mannheim and Stuttgart. Her lawyer said he would take the case to Germany's supreme court.