Israeli Labor Court Says Private Catholic School Can Ban Muslim Teacher From Wearing Hijab

In Israel, the Jerusalem District Labor Court upheld the dress code requirements of a private Catholic school that barred a Muslim teacher from wearing a hijab (headscarf).  Today's Jerusalem Post reports that teacher Nada Nimri, who taught Arabic and Islam at the 120-year old Schmidt School for Girls, operated by the Mary Ward Sisters and owned by the Diocese of Cologne, decided after 27 years of teaching without wearing a hijab that she wanted to begin wearing one.  The school, which has both Catholic and Muslim students, enforces its dress code "in order to create uniformity between the students and teachers from Muslim and Christian backgrounds." Nimri argued that the requirement violated the Equal Opportunity in Work Law and the Equal Rights for Women Law (legislative background). The Labor Court held that because the school was a private school operated by a religious order, its pedagogical and educational concerns outweighed the burden on Nimri's religious beliefs.