65% OF WOMEN WEARING HIJAB DENIED JOBS IN NETHERLANDS, SPAIN AND GERMANY

Sun 24 July 2022:

The state of controversy arose on the communication platforms, coinciding with the circulation of field research showing the extent to which veiled women are exposed to racism and discrimination when they apply for jobs in the countries of the Netherlands, Germany and Spain.

The research report was published on a website affiliated with the University of (Oxford) British, on July 9, and caused an uproar after a university researcher participated in the work through her personal account on Twitter, Thursday, July 21.

Participating in the research were Marina Fernandez-Reino, Valentina Di Stasio from the University of (Utrecht) in the Netherlands, and Susanne Veit from the German Center.

My paper with @distasio_val & Susanne Veit on employers’ discrimination against Muslim women in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain is out at @ESR_news https://t.co/EAu8Froyym
👇🏽🧵

— Mariña Fernández Reino (@MFReino) July 20, 2022

The published research shows that 65 per cent of Muslim women who attach their hijab pictures to their CV when applying for a job in the Netherlands, reject them directly without calling for a personal interview, as well as in close proportions in Spain and Germany.

The research adds that the image of the veil is not the only element for which Muslim women are rejected in those countries, because many send applications without attaching a personal photo.

The CV included that the applicant for the job contributed to work related to Muslims, such as volunteering in a religious centre or an Islamic charitable association.

Commenting on the results of the research, activist Jihad al-Haq attacked European culture, saying, “Europeans think that their racism is okay, because they have good reasons to be racist.”

As the replies to this prove, Europeans think their racism is okay because they have “good reasons” to be racist; of course nobody seems to have told them that the entire history of racism is of people discriminating against others because they had “good reasons.” https://t.co/fyfm8jTnYN

— Jihad al-Haqq ۞ جہاد الحق (@JihadalHaqq) July 21, 2022

It takes courage to wear the hijab on a daily basis, and I think we will never get to a point where we don’t worry a little bit about hijab discrimination,” said researcher Voula Via.

Hmmn… it takes courage to use veil and even more so every passing day. You never get to a point where you don’t slightly worry about discrimination due it. I make it a point of duty to use my veil when interview for roles, to show this is what you get before employing me https://t.co/JugZsGYbg7

— Fola, PhD, FHEA (@PgrResearcher) July 21, 2022

In July 2021, the European Court of Justice said that companies can prevent Muslim female employees from wearing the hijab in certain circumstances, in a ruling by the highest court in Europe in two cases filed by two women in Germany, who were suspended from work after they wore the hijab.

The reasons for the court’s decision – based in Luxembourg – stated that the employer in the two places informed the two employees that wearing the hijab was prohibited, and they were suspended from work and told to come to work without a hijab, or they would be transferred to another job.

The court ruled that “a ban on wearing anything that expresses political, philosophical or religious beliefs in the workplace may be justified by the employer’s need to present a neutral image to clients, or to prevent any social squabbles.”

The issue of the headscarf has sparked controversy across Europe for years, highlighting sharp divisions over the integration of Muslims into European societies.

In 2017, the European Court of Justice ruled that companies have the right to prohibit the wearing of the headscarf or any other visible religious symbol in the workplace under certain circumstances.

In 2014, the French Supreme Court upheld a ruling to dismiss a Muslim daycare worker after she wore the hijab in a private kindergarten, and 10 years earlier, France – which has the largest Muslim minority in Europe – banned the wearing of the hijab in public schools.

Yep, I confirm.
If I see an application with a woman wearing a symbol of islamist patriarchy, the CV will go straight to the bin.

I don’t want to work with people that put their political ideas first.

Sorry but not sorry. https://t.co/inODjoP6rB

— Sha Pouet (@sha_double) July 22, 2022

Strong evidence of employer discrimination against veiled Muslim women in 🇳🇱:

🔹almost 70% of job applications that included a photograph such as the one on the left received a positive callback

🔹only 35% if a photograph was included such as the one on the right

🧵 1/ pic.twitter.com/hDMf7WHNZC

— Robert Dur (@DurRobert) July 20, 2022

PDF: Discrimination Unveiled: A Field Experiment
on the Barriers Faced by Muslim Women in
Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain