Belgium terminates teacher’s employment over hijab in public schools

Developments in the dismissal case of teacher Hadia Amagoud in Belgium

Teacher Hadia Amagoud, who worked at a primary school for children with special needs in the Belgian city of Assenede, is facing a complex professional situation following the Province of East Flanders’ decision to terminate her services. The decision stems from the teacher’s refusal to remove her hijab, based on her personal convictions.

Context of the decision and the principle of “neutrality”

According to the Belgian news agency “Belga”, the dismissal is the result of changes in the province’s internal regulations. As of September 1, 2024, new rules came into effect prohibiting provincial employees from wearing any visible religious or philosophical symbols, with the exception of ethics teachers. This legal shift rendered the status of Hadia, who had been working since September 2022 while wearing her hijab without issues, incompatible with the new guidelines.

A long disciplinary process

This issue did not happen overnight; the teacher underwent a disciplinary process in May 2024. At that time, the disciplinary committee recommended closing the file, confirming that the professional law applied then did not authorize sanctions against her. In October 2024, the province concluded the procedures without imposing penalties, but matters took a turn that ended in a final dismissal, resulting in the teacher losing her professional stability and source of income.

Questions regarding the limits of authority and personal freedom

For her part, Hadia Amagoud has raised fundamental questions about the nature of these decisions, arguing that the case goes beyond mere “dress code” to address the problem of the limits of power in restricting the individual freedoms of employees. “To what extent can an employer restrict a teacher’s personal freedoms?” she asks, noting that she views the local authorities’ interpretation of the principle of “neutrality” as being political rather than organizational, and asserting that this dismissal has caused her significant material and moral damage.