Netherlands: Muslim women refused job as cafeteria worker

A story from earlier in the month:

The Protestant Christian Groen van Prinsterer College in Barneveld refused to accept a Muslim cleaning lady working in the school as cafeteria worker. According to the school all personnel must be a member of a Protestant Christian church. Jamila, who's a Muslims, felt deeply insulted by the school's decision.

She had meanwhile complained by the Commission for Equal Treatment (Commissie Gelijke Behandeling). There is still no decision by the commission, but the school and Jamila had been trying to get to a solution. Both parties agreed to talk things over but it is already clear that the woman can forget about working in the cafeteria.

Groen van Prinsterer College does allow Muslims as students. Three percent of the 1100 strong student body are Muslims. "We have an open admission policy, but these students and their parents must respect our Christian principles. Preservation of the Christian identity is crucial for us, therefore the strict rules for acceptance of personnel," according to school principal Kees Heek.

The fact that Jamila worked as a cleaner in the school, despite being a Muslim, was a mistake according to the principal. The cleaners start working at the school in the evening, when almost all the students are already home. The cafeteria workers, on the other hand, have a lot of contact with the students. When the cleaning company where she worked stopped serving the school, she was taken on by the school, but in retrospect the school says this was "a mistaken decision". The principal said he was ready to help Jamila find a position where she was welcome.

Sources: fok (Dutch), NU.nl (Dutch)