Belgian province dismisses teacher for wearing headscarf at work

East Flanders province has dismissed a teacher after she refused to remove her headscarf at work, in what is believed to be the first case in Flanders of a teacher being explicitly dismissed for wearing one.

Belga reported the decision on Monday, September 14, and the teacher, Hadija Amajoud, confirmed it.

“I am losing not only my job, but also my income, my security and my permanent appointment. Everything I have built up has suddenly gone,” Amajoud said.

Amajoud has worked in provincial education since September 1, 2022, and teaches at Kiempunt Campus Assenede, a special primary school. She speaks Dutch well, and her performance has never received a negative evaluation.

She was granted a permanent appointment on January 1, 2024.

Amajoud was already wearing her headscarf when she joined the school. On June 27, 2024, the province amended its staff regulations, introducing an explicit ban, effective September 1, 2024, on visible religious and philosophical symbols. The exemption applies to teachers of religion or philosophy-related subjects.

For Amajoud, however, the dispute extends beyond the headscarf itself to the limits of an employer’s authority. She has questioned how far an employer can go in restricting a teacher’s personal freedom and described the province’s interpretation of neutrality as “purely political.”

Earlier this year, the East Flanders provincial executive introduced neutrality rules that also prohibit pupils in provincial education from wearing headscarves. Compliance with the personnel regulations by staff is being monitored strictly.

Amajoud is likely to become the first teacher in Flanders to lose her job explicitly because she wears a headscarf.

By Tamilla Hasanova