Commission for Protection from Discrimination fines all parties in Smolyan “head scarves case”

The ban on wearing head scarves in schools that have an uniform does not constitute discrimination. This was held by the Commission for Protection from Discrimination today. The matter was referred to the Commission by the Smolyan District Governor Dr. Petar Fidanov. The reason was the wish of two school girls from Smolyan to wear head scarves on account of their religious beliefs. Earlier, the Union for Islamic Development and Culture had filed a complaint against the director of the school where the two school girls studied - the Karl Marx Professional High School of Economy in the town of Smolyan, and against the Regional Education Inspectorate.

The Commission rejected the complaint as unfounded and imposed several sanctions to the parties concerned. According to the Anti-Discrimination Commission, the Union for Islamic Development and Culture has engaged in activities that constituted “incitement to discrimination”, and fined the organisation with125 euro. The same sanction was imposed to the school management because it allowed the two school girls to wear religious attire in a school that had mandatory uniforms, thus discriminating the other school children.The Commission also found that the Minister of Eduction and the Regional Education Inspectorate did not undertake the necessary measures to solve the problem. The two institutions were fined 250 euro each. The Commission decision can be appealed in court.

Source: Dnevnik daily