Headscarf Controversy in Germany

Western countries have long debated the relationship between religion and the nation-state, especially in public education. In an age of global migration, the issue of religion in the schools resurfaced, this time focusing on the headscarves worn by many Muslim women. In 2003, a German court upheld the right of teacher Fereshta Ludin, pictured here, to wear her headscarf while teaching, on the grounds of religious freedom. Note the justices’ own different clothing. (© Vincent Kessler / Reuters / Corbis.)