Czech judge dismisses hijab ban complaint by Somali refugee woman

A judge in the Czech Republic has rejected a complaint lodged by a young Muslim woman banned from wearing hijab to school.

Ayan Jamaal Ahmed Nuur, a Somali refugee who was banned from covering her head at the school where she was a nursing science student, sought an apology and financial compensation from the school administration for religious discrimination against her.

Judge Daniela Cejkova at the court in the capital, Prague, rejected her request.

Cejkova declared that Nuur's suit that sought "an apology and 60,000 crowns ($2,350) in compensation was dismissed."

"The plaintiff is not entitled to another [appeals] court," the judge stated. 

The controversial verdict against the young woman's hijab came despite there being no official ban on such a practice in the Czech Republic.

Ivanka Kohoutova, the school's principal, claimed putting on headwear was unhygienic for nursing students, and violated the nurses' job safety standards.

The school principle also argued that the plaintiff was never officially registered at the school and failed to submit the necessary documentation despite living in the country for years and being granted asylum status in 2011.

The Czech Republic is a secular country with a small Muslim community of only 10,000 to 20,000 members. It has no law covering the wearing of religious garments.

SS