ABSTRACT
In the years from 2000 to 2005 the Danish courts decided three cases concerning employer dress codes that had the effect of excluding Muslim women who practice veiling1 from employment. In one case, a chocolate factory that had strict dress regulations for hygienic and safety reasons refused to employ a Somalian woman who wore a veil that covered her head and shoulders, leaving only her face free. In the other two cases, one Muslim woman of Turkish and one Muslim woman of Moroccan origin were not allowed to come to work wearing headscarves because their employers had adopted dress codes that were intended to project a particular public image. In all three cases, the plaintiffs claimed that only discrimination on grounds of religion had occurred. Only one of the cases resulted in a judgment in favour of the plaintiff.
