Almost every time hijabis sue, they lose. UD can’t pretend to be unhappy about this; secular liberal states have the right to defend their secularity, and the highest European courts confirm this right again and again.
In a decision that holds for public sector offices across the EU, [a] Luxembourg-based court said a policy of strict neutrality “may be regarded as being objectively justified by a legitimate aim”.
… Tuesday’s decision echoed several rulings previously issued by the same court. In 2021 it ruled that private sector employers could limit the expression of religious, political or philosophical beliefs when there was a “genuine need” to “present a neutral image towards customers or to prevent social dispute”.
One year later it said that such bans do not constitute “direct discrimination” as long as they are applied equally to all employees.
What hijabis overlook is the reality of secular states, of which there are many all over the world, and particularly in Europe. (Given the absolutely massive rebellion against the hijab in Iran, it looks as though some secular states are laboring under the illusion that they’re religious.) The official, public-facing aspect of secular states ought, I’d argue, present religious neutrality as its basic identity. Outside of state services, a generally relaxed attitude toward religious garb should prevail, though even here there are nuances.