2023-12-03 13:41:00
In the program “It’s not every day Sunday” on December 3, the wearing of the veil in the public service was at the heart of the debate. A subject that divides society and politics, the municipality of Anderlecht recently wanted to authorize civil servants in contact with the public to wear the veil. This decision created a wave of indignation among some. What should we expect in the future regarding conviction signs?
A delicate subject due to the division it entails, the wearing of the veil in the public service did not fail to unleash passions in the “It’s not every day Sunday” of December 3.
Siham, a nurse specializing in nephrology and dialysis, came to tell how, in her case, the veil constituted an obstacle to employment. “The ban on wearing religious symbols is an obstacle to employment, training and studies“, she says from the outset. One day, while she wanted to follow training, she noticed a sentence on the internal regulations that caught her attention.
“I suffered a brake myself. I decided to enroll in training to specialize in serving the citizen. There was a KING (Internal regulations, Editor’s note) discriminant. I was asked to either remove my turban or go out. (…) I stayed and started procedures. For what ? Because I wear the headscarf out of religious conviction. In doing so, I exercise my religious freedom, a fundamental freedom enshrined in the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. (…). IIt would not be a question of authorizing, but rather of lifting this ban which unfairly hits women who wear it“.”, she testifies.
At the MR, neutrality is essential
Gaëtan Van Goidsenhoven, Brussels MP and head of the MR group in Anderlecht, does not share Siham’s vision. He advocates neutrality to put all citizens on an equal footing. “(…) We are indeed in favor of maintaining clear neutrality in all aspects of the public service. Because it is the guarantor of a certain form of coherence, of social cohesion, because everyone is on an equal footing“
So, no scarf at all or only no scarf for functions that are in contact with the public? “For us, neutrality, the more successful it is, the fewer problems there will be. And I will also talk regarding convictional signs because believing that the debate is only reduced to the veil is an error. (…),” he explains.
Also present on a video call, the mayor of Bernissart, Roger Vanderstraeten, wants to be much more tolerant. “We recruited staff and there was a person wearing a headscarf, and we didn’t pay attention to that. (…) It’s part of life and we don’t worry regarding it anymore.“, he explains.
In an interview given for our colleagues at Sudinfo, he notably declared: “Wearing the veil in the administration has never posed any problem or debate (…)”.
Two rooms, two atmospheres.
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