A German court has ruled that it is illegal to drive while wearing a niqab–a Muslim headgear covering most of the wearer’s face.
Drivers are banned from covering their face except when wearing a motorcycle helmet, said an Administrative Court in northern Germany’s city of Kassel May 12.
Article 23 of the German Road Traffic Regulations says as much, and Darmstadt regional cancel was within its rights to deny a Muslim woman her request from an exemption, the judges ruled.
The Hessian Administrative Court was confirming on appeal an earlier decision by the regional court in Darmstadt.
The woman said traditional Muslim headdress would not make it impossible to identify her in automated traffic controls, as she could still be identified by her eyes on photographs taken by roadside radar systems.
The court said, however, it is generally not possible to identify drivers by their eyes alone.
The ban did not contravene the German constitution’s guarantees of religious freedom, as there was a sufficient grounding for the measure in preserving road traffic security, it added.
There was not a further route of appeal after the court’s decision.
A niqab is an Islamic garment covering a woman’s entire face and body while only leaving a narrow slit for the eyes.
The verdict is in line with other decisions by German courts.
In April 2024, a Berlin superior court ruled the city’s administration had also acted rightly in denying a Muslim woman an exemption from the ban on face coverings.
Banning the niqab at the wheel, as a restriction on religious freedom, is justified if it ensures traffic safety through effective automated traffic monitoring, that court said.
