Overview
- GFF filed the lawsuit at the Berlin Administrative Court under the Landesantidiskriminierungsgesetz, asking judges to declare blanket school prayer bans discriminatory.
- A court spokesperson confirmed the case was received after initial reports noted the filing could not yet be verified.
- The Gymnasium’s rules prohibit the “demonstrative exercise of religious rites” for the sake of “school peace,” a stance it kept even after a 2023 GFF review led many Berlin schools to amend similar policies.
- GFF argues the policy targets Muslim students and infringes fundamental rights, saying some feel compelled to pray in toilets or bushes to avoid reprimand.
- The dispute tests a 2011 Federal Administrative Court decision that allowed restrictions on one student’s demonstrative prayer but emphasized it was an individual case rather than a blanket ban.