Green Party urges Berlin to expand headscarf policy for public sector workers

Debate reignites over Germany’s controversial neutrality law and religious freedom

BERLIN (MNTV) – Berlin’s Green Party is calling for an expansion of recent policy changes that allow Muslim teachers to wear headscarves, urging the city to lift the ban for police officers, civil servants, and judges as well.

This renewed push follows Berlin’s 2023 policy shift, which ended the prohibition of headscarves for teachers after a legal case compelled the state to pay damages to a Muslim woman denied a teaching position due to her hijab. 

Tuba Bozkurt, a Green Party politician, highlighted the broader impact of the law, stating, “Highly qualified women are not allowed to practise their profession because they wear a headscarf. That’s a problem.”

The neutrality law, introduced in 2005, prohibits state employees from wearing visible religious symbols while on duty, ostensibly to maintain secularism.

However, it has faced criticism for its inconsistency—allowing Christian symbols such as crucifix necklaces and wall-mounted crosses in courtrooms while banning Muslim hijabs and Jewish yarmulkes. 

Experts and scholars argue that the law institutionalized discrimination by positioning Christianity as “neutral” while treating other religions as deviations.

Despite growing calls for reform, the ruling CDU/SPD coalition is unlikely to support changes for police and judiciary roles, signaling continued resistance to altering the law’s broader application.

The neutrality law remains a focal point in Germany’s debate over religious freedoms, workplace inclusion, and the state’s role in defining secularism.