Bangladesh High Court Says Women Employed In Education Cannot Be Forced To Wear Veil

Asia News reports that Bangladesh's High Court ruled on April 8 that women employed in public educational institutions may not be required to wear the veil, or hijab, against their will. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed after a local government official called the director of an elementary school a "beshya" (prostitute) for not wearing a veil. The High Court concluded that forcing a woman to wear a veil is a violation of basic human rights protected by the Constitution, and called on the Ministry of Education to implement the protection. Some fundamentalist Islamic groups criticized the decision as "a conspiracy to destroy Islam in Bangladesh." [Thanks to Institute on Religion & Public Policy for the lead.]