A girl below the age of 18 wearing a headscarf? The human rights organization "Terre des Femmes" believes it is morally wrong and is demanding that the German government ban headscarves for girls in schools and daycare centres. On Thursday, the group presented a petition, launched in June on their website, to the public.

"Terre des Femmes" argues that girls who wear headscarves during childhood are not able to decide against it later in life, and that the number of girls wearing headscarves in many schools and kindergartens has increased. The group not only sees the headscarf as a symbol of Islam, but rather as a symbol of the discrimination and sexualization of minors. There are, however, no concrete figures on the number of children who wear a headscarf.

Read more: Full-face veil ban: How laws differ across Europe

Among the initial signatories of the petition are actress Sibel Kekilli, women's rights activist Alice Schwarzer, the Green party mayor of Tübingen, Boris Palmer, the liberal Muslim lawyer Seyran Ates and the Islam expert Ahmad Mansour. Organizations such as Germany's Federation of Paediatricians and the German Professional Association of Gynaecologists are also participating in the campaign. "We see the children's headscarf as a violation of children's rights," said the director of "Terre des Femmes," Christa Stolle.

Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, has already unveiled proposals to prohibit schoolchildren under the age of 14 from wearing headscarves.

Burqa, hijab or niqab? What is she wearing? Hijab Most Islamic scholars agree that the hijab, which covers the head and neck, and comes in any number of shapes and colors, must be worn by Muslim women. American teen Hannah Schraim is seen wearing one here while playing with her brother.

Burqa, hijab or niqab? What is she wearing? Chador The chador, which is usually black, is a body-length outer garmet often worn in Iran and among modern-minded women in the Gulf States, as here in Saudi Arabia. It is not fastened with clasps or buttons and therefore has to be held closed by the wearer.

Burqa, hijab or niqab? What is she wearing? Niqab A niqab is a veil and scarf that covers the entire face yet leaves the eyes free. It covers a woman's hair, as it falls to the middle of her back and some are also half-length in the front so as to cover her chest. Here it is being worn by women attending a rally by Salafi radicals in Germany.

Burqa, hijab or niqab? What is she wearing? Abaya An abaya is a loose-fitting, full-length garment designed to cover the body. It may come in many different styles, as seen here at an Arab fashion show, and is often worn in combination with hijab or niqab.

Burqa, hijab or niqab? What is she wearing? Burqa The burqa is the most extensive of all Muslim garments, covering the entire body from head to toe. It traditionally has a woven mesh area around the eyes, severely restricting the wearer's vision. Here they are seen casting their ballots in Pakistani parliamentary elections.

Burqa, hijab or niqab? What is she wearing? No veil Queen Rania of Jordan says that Islam does not coerce women to wear any head coverings and that it is more important to judge a woman by her ethics and values, rather than what she wears. She is seen here meeting refugees in Greece. Author: Jon Shelton



Few signatures

The plan is to submit a list with at least 100,000 signatures to Justice Minister Katarina Barley in October. So far, however, they have gathered fewer than 10,000.

The headscarf has been subject to public debate over the past few years. And recently, court rulings banning the headscarf in classrooms caused a stir among Muslim, female teachers. Yasemin Okutansoy, a teacher of Islamic religious studies, is one of them. She confirmed to DW the impression that more girls are coming to school wearing headscarves. However, according to her observations, they are wearing it voluntarily, even "students whose mothers do not wear headscarves."

The teacher rejects regulations or prohibitions of the practice. "I have nothing against girls who wear punk hairstyles," she said. "We have religious freedom, and everyone should decide for themselves how they want to dress."

Watch video 03:17 Share Headscarf ban in Germany? Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/333wK German state mulls headscarf ban for girls under 14

Headscarf, kippa, crucifix

The director of the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, Bernhard Franke, takes a similar stance. He believes that a ban on headscarves for children would create more problems than it solves. "Those who want to ban the Muslim headscarf in schools are contributing to schoolgirls feeling marginalized and discriminated against," Franke told DW. It would further reinforce existing feelings of discrimination and exclusion, he said.

Read more: Liberal mosque in Berlin draws criticism

A ban at schools and kindergartens is also legally complicated. "If you want to ban just the headscarf, you would face some problems constitutionally," said Franke, because it would treat Muslim students unequally in their fundamental right to religious practice. "A headscarf ban in schools would ultimately result in a ban on wearing other religious symbols, such as the crucifix or kippa."

In addition, there is a risk that girls who view their headscarves as an integral part of their religious practice would be discriminated against by such a ban. "In that case, if you forbid her, you would be violating the prohibition of religion discrimination," he explained. Although Franke believes the petition will certainly gain attention, he could not gauge whether or not it will actually lead to a headscarf ban.

"Terre des Femmes" also admits that the petition will face considerable public headwind. Large online platforms will not spread their petition, called "Den Kopf frei haben" (roughly translated as "Free your head — and your mind"). According to the organization's director Christa Stolle, many people do not want to position themselves against the children's headscarf, for "fear of being labeled a racist or right-wing populist."

Yarmulke, mitra or veil: religious head coverings across the globe Yarmulke European Jews started wearing the yarmulke, or kippa, in the 17th and 18th centuries, turning the skullcap into a religious symbol. Pious Jews are expected to cover their heads, but the fabric isn't that important, and a hat or scarf is acceptable, too. Jewish Halacha law requires men and boys to cover their head when they pray, visit a synagogue or a Jewish cemetery or study the religion.

Yarmulke, mitra or veil: religious head coverings across the globe Miter The miter is the ceremonial headdress worn by bishops, mainly in the Roman-Catholic Church. It goes back to the 11th century, with the tall, peaked hat deeply cleft on the sides and adorned with two ribbons at the back symbolizing the Old and the New Testaments.

Yarmulke, mitra or veil: religious head coverings across the globe Dastar Members of the Sikh faith, a monotheistic religion founded in India's northern Punjab region in the 15th century, wear a dastar. A dastar is usually worn by men, with orange being a popular color. Underneath the cloth headwear, which is re-knotted every morning, Sikh men let their hair grow freely.

Yarmulke, mitra or veil: religious head coverings across the globe Chador In Farsi, the word chador means "tent," and that is what this garment worn by observant Muslim women in some parts of the Middle East resembles. Usually black, it covers a woman from the head down, hiding the shape of the body, revealing only the face. The chador is worn over a woman's regular clothing.

Yarmulke, mitra or veil: religious head coverings across the globe Nun's veil Nuns almost always wear a distinctive veil to complete their religious garment, the habit. Novices' veils are white, while professed nuns usually wear a black veil, or one in their habit's color. Depending on the religious order, veils come in different sizes and shapes. Some are elaborate and cover the woman's entire head; others are simply pinned to the sister's hair.

Yarmulke, mitra or veil: religious head coverings across the globe Headscarf Is a woman's headscarf a religious headdress, or a symbol of oppression? In the West in particular, that continues to be a matter of heated debate. It is certainly the most well-known female head covering. Turkish women (as in this photo) tie headscarves differently from women in Arabic countries.

Yarmulke, mitra or veil: religious head coverings across the globe Sheitel The ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish community in New York has strict rules for married women, who are required to shave their hair and wear a wig, the "sheitel." In her 2012 bestseller memoir "Unorthodox," US author Deborah Feldman describes growing up in the ultra-religious group.

Yarmulke, mitra or veil: religious head coverings across the globe Birett A bit of cloth, strips of cardboard and a tassel — voila, the birett, a head covering worn by Roman Catholic priests since the 13th century. In the Netherlands, Germany, Britain and France, the hat has four corners. In many other countries, it has three.

Yarmulke, mitra or veil: religious head coverings across the globe Birett A bit of cloth, strips of cardboard and a tassle — voila, the birett, a head covering worn by Roman Catholic priests since the 13th century. In the Netherlands, Germany, Britain and France, the hat has four corners. In many other countries, it has three. If you remember the character Don Camillo (played by French actor Fernandel in a series of films in the 1950s and '60s), you know the hat!

Yarmulke, mitra or veil: religious head coverings across the globe Tagelmust The cotton scarf that can be up to 15 meters long is worn by Tuareg Berber Muslim men throughout western Africa. The tagelmust covers the head and is pulled over the mouth and nose against wind-born sand in the desert. The turban-style headdress is worn by adult men only. When indigo blue, the tagelmust's dye can rub off on the skin, hence the Tuareg being called the "blue men of the desert."

Yarmulke, mitra or veil: religious head coverings across the globe Shtreimel The Jewish shtreimel hat is made of velvet and has a wide fur trim, usually sable. Married men wear the hat on Jewish holidays and for religious festivities. The eye-catching headgear originated in Hasidic communities in southeastern Europe, a tradition that became nearly extinct in Europe after the Holocaust.

Yarmulke, mitra or veil: religious head coverings across the globe Hats and bonnets The Amish are a conservative Christian group in North America that originated in the tradition of the Anabaptist movement in Switzerland and southern Germany. The first Amish fled to the US in the early 18th century to escape religious persecution. They live simple lives, and shun modern technology and conveniences. The women wear plain bonnets; the men wear straw or felt hats. Author: Klaus Krämer (db)



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