Turkey's Erdoğan lashes out at EU court ruling on headscarves ban
"The court should change its name. It has no relation to a court of justice. For it to be a court of justice, it should first learn what freedom of religion is. There can't be a court of justice that doesn't understand freedom of religion," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a statement on Monday.
- World
- AFP
- Published Date: 03:45 | 19 July 2021
- Modified Date: 04:59 | 19 July 2021
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday hit out an EU court ruling allowing employers in some cases to ban staff from wearing headscarves at work.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Thursday that a ban on religious symbols such as headscarves "may be justified by the employer's need to present a neutral image towards customers or to prevent social disputes".
Erdoğan said the ruling impinged on religious freedoms.
"The court should change its name. It has no relation to a court of justice. For it to be a court of justice, it should first learn what freedom of religion is," Erdoğan said.
"There can't be a court of justice that doesn't understand freedom of religion," he added during a press conference in Istanbul.
Turkey has a controversial and sensitive history with the headscarf known as hijab.
In 2013, when Erdoğan was prime minister, Turkey lifted a long-standing ban on wearing the hijab in state institutions.
The Turkish foreign ministry on Sunday warned that the top EU court's decision was "dangerous in terms of hate against Islam it will fuel."