Lieven Boeve, the chief executive of Belgium’s Roman Catholic schools network, has gone on the record to say that the ban on the wearing of the Muslim headscarf in Belgian schools should be axed.
“I’m calling for religious symbols to be allowed to be worn in public spaces and this includes the headscarf” Mr Boeve told VRT Radio. The Roman Catholic schools CEO is urging all networks to drop the ban on the wearing of the headscarf by pupils and teachers.
The management of each Roman Catholic school in Belgium can decide for itself whether or not to allow headscarves.
Usually the headscarf falls under a ban on wearing headdresses, though it is allowed in some Roman Catholic schools.
“I wish to launch a debate in society because it’s got to do with how we see neutrality. It’s about the kind of society we wish in the future and how schools can contribute to this society.”
In schools run by the Flemish Community – the official schools network GO! – there’s a blanket ban on religious symbols and this covers headscarves.
GO! Head Raymonda Verdyck is not rejecting the idea of a debate, though she notes that the ban on the wearing of religious symbols in state schools has been largely beneficial during the past two years.