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In this event with the European Network Against Racism, the Open Society Justice Initiative will present a new report on restrictions on Muslim women’s dress among the twenty eight EU member states.
Laws, local regulations, and formal practices prohibiting the wearing of religious dress—in employment, education, services, and in public space—result in Muslim women being disproportionality prevented from exercising their rights. Analysis shows that these restrictions stem from openly racist and discriminatory political narratives coming from both far-right and mainstream political discourses. The report's findings identified that only eight member states have laws restricting Muslim women’s dress.
In EU countries that are known to have high standards against discrimination and to promote pluralism and inclusion like Sweden, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and others, there is now increasing pressure to introduce religious dress bans that restrict freedoms and exclude religious minorities from society. Campaigns for such laws and regulations have failed in many places, and where they have been adopted, they have faced political and legal resistance by Muslim women, grassroots civil society, national courts, and even national governments.
Speakers
Maryam H'madoun
Speaker
Maryam H’madoun is a policy officer for Equality and Inclusion with the Open Society Justice Initiative.
Laura Bingham
Speaker
Laura Bingham is a legal officer at the Open Society Justice Initiative.
Simon Cox
Speaker
Until December 2019, Simon Cox was a migration lawyer at the Open Society Justice Initiative.
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