22 August 2016

Court verdict: no niqabs in German school

The student, who insisted on wearing her niqab to school, has been denied by a local administrative court. The Sophie Scholl night school in Osnabrück in the northern German state of Lower Saxony had originally accepted the student but reversed its decision when it became clear how she wanted to dress in class.

On Friday, the student had appealed to the Osnabrück Administrative Court. The case was heard just three days later on Monday. Things moved fast because, as a court spokesperson said, "every school day counts."

The court had ordered the woman to appear in person at the hearing on Monday to defend her reasons. When she didn't do that because of the media attention the case attracted, the court said its only possible action was to deny her claim.

There are no details available on the student except for the fact that she's a German national and that she's not a minor anymore, which in Germany means she's at least 18. Night schools like Sophie Scholl are usually a way for adults to obtain a diploma they didn't manage to get when they went to school as teenagers. [Deutsche Welle] Read more