The Turkish Community in Germany (TGD) on Monday voiced its support for a ban on full-face veils in schools in the western German state of Lower Saxony.
The ban takes effect at the beginning of the school year on Aug. 3.
“The students should be able to see who is sitting next to them,” said Gokay Sofuoglu, the head of TGD.
Sofuoglu added that a ban on face coverings would also “prevent unnecessary discussions on who is a proper Muslim.”
The ban which includes the niqab and the burka was introduced by Lower Saxony’s centre-left government, whose legislation argued that students’ “behaviour and clothing should enable an open exchange between all participants in school life.’’
The state government based its decision on a verdict by the European Court of Justice earlier this month that Belgium’s ban on face veils does not violate the European Convention on Human Rights. (dpa/NAN)
