Headscarf-wearing employees and the CJEU: what employers can and cannot do

In July 2021, the CJEU handed down its judgment in two cases regarding the wearing of Islamic headscarves at work, which allows employers to ban the wearing of religious and other symbols, but only under certain conditions. This article examines the judgment in detail and argues that it shows some improvements on previous judgments on this issue and present a small glimmer of hope that the CJEU might be moving – albeit very tentatively – towards more protection of Muslim women who want to wear headscarves at work for religious reasons.