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The European Court of Justice ruled on the cases of two female employees in Belgium and in France, who were dismissed for refusing to remove their headscarves, a day before a Dutch parliamentary election dominated by the issue of immigration and integration. Employers may bar staff from wearing visible religious symbols under certain conditions, the court ruled. The court, based in Luxembourg, said a workplace ban “does not constitute direct discrimination”.

An internal rule of an undertaking which prohibits the visible wearing of any political, philosophical or religious sign does not constitute direct discrimination European Court of Justice

The ECJ said in a statement: "An internal rule of an undertaking which prohibits the visible wearing of any political, philosophical or religious sign does not constitute direct discrimination. "However, in the absence of such a rule, the willingness of an employer to take account of the wishes of a customer no longer to have the employer's services provided by a worker wearing an Islamic headscarf cannot be considered an occupational requirement that could rule out discrimination."

GETTY STOCK IMAGE A top EU court has ruled employers can ban workers from wearing an Islamic headscarf

GETTY The court said employers can ban workers from wearing visible religious symbols

Former Ukip leader and MEP Nigel Farage said he disagreed with the ban. Mr Farage said: “It depends whether these things are applied evenly across all religions or whether some religions get more favoured status than others. “I’ve always personally thought that people should be able to wear a badge or an emblem of their religion. “I believe in religious tolerance." Chief Rabbi Goldschmidt, President of the Conference of European Rabbis, said the decision meant faith communities are no longer welcome in Europe. He said: “This decision sends signals to all religious groups in Europe. With the rise of racially motivated incidents and today’s decision, Europe is sending a clear message; its faith communities are no longer welcome. Political leaders need to act to ensure that Europe does not isolate religious minorities and remains a diverse and open continent.” The court considered the case of a Belgian woman working as a receptionist for G4S Secure Solutions, which has a general ban on wearing visible religious or political symbols in Belgium and France.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION The European Court of Justice ruled on the cases of two female employees in Belgium and in France

In the case of the Muslim woman, who was employed as a receptionist by G4S, the court said: “The Court therefore concludes that the prohibition on wearing an Islamic headscarf, which arises from an internal rule of a private undertaking prohibiting the visible wearing of any political, philosophical or religious sign in the workplace, does not constitute direct discrimination based on religion or belief within the meaning of the directive.” The court said G4S had an unwritten rule at the time the woman was hired in 2003 that prohibited employees from wearing visible signs of their political, philosophical or religious beliefs in the workplace. After the G4S works council approved an amendment to workplace regulations in 2006, the woman was dismissed “because of her continuing insistence on wearing the Islamic headscarf at work.”

SKYNEWS Nigel Farage said the ban should be applied evenly across all religions

But despite saying employers may ban the wearing of religious symbols, the court batted the case back to the national Belgian course to rule on whether the woman was the victim of indirect discrimination because of her religion. G4S said in a statement: ”There is a long-standing custom in Belgium for organisations with diverse workforces to apply a policy of religious and political neutrality, especially where the organisation has staff who have contact with the public. “Our policy is supported by employee representatives and has also been upheld at all levels in the Belgian courts. “On the question that was raised by the Belgian Supreme Court, whether the neutrality policy constituted direct discrimination based on religion, the court has now ruled that this is not the case and it will now be referred back to the Belgian Supreme Court.” Last year the court's advocate general recommended that companies should be allowed to prohibit headscarves as long as a general ban on other symbols was in place. Companies should though consider the conspicuousness of such symbols and the nature of the employee's activities. The court also considered the case of a French IT consultant who was told to remove her headscarf after a client complained.

What is the difference between the burka, niqab and a hijab? Mon, March 6, 2017 Here are the different types of Muslim dress Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 5 The khimar is a long veil that fall to just above the waist. It covers the hair, neck and shoulders but leaves the face clear