The Dutch police are wrong to ban a Muslim women officer from wearing a headscarf in a job where her contact with the public is limited, the Dutch human rights council said on Monday.
The ban on religious symbols was introduced to ensure a ‘neutral and uniform appearance and for the safety of the police officer’, but the police have failed to prove these are ‘serious conditions’ for her to be able to carry out her job, the council said.
The case was brought by Sarah Izat, 26, who works in the national police 0900 call centre which the public can phone to make formal complaints, sometimes via a video connection. The police have banned headscarves and other religious and political symbols on the grounds that police officers should present a ‘neutral and uniform appearance’. The council said that in this case the need for a neutral appearance is limited, given the nature of the administrative job the young woman does. [DutchNews] Read more
