CAIRO, September 10, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – The liberal youth organization in the German state of North Rhine, JULIS, has called for promoting the values of tolerance and diversity in society by dealing with hijab as an everyday life reality.

Seeing tolerance as the key to peaceful coexistence in society, JULIS stressed that veiled women should be treated as part and parcel of society.

It said, on its Web site, that everyone is entitled to his/her own choices as long as that does not violate the country's constitution.

Among the organization's goals is allowing legal foreign residents to work in the country, grant them the right to vote and participate in the political life.

JULIS also seeks to help foreigners better integrate into society and quickly learn the German language.

The organization boasts 10,000 members, whose ages range between 14 and 35 years representing all sectors of society, including foreigners.

Islam comes third in Germany after Protestant and Catholic Christianity.

There are some 3.4 million Muslims in the country, including 220,000 in Berlin, and Turks make up an estimated two thirds of the Muslim minority.

JULIS is an affiliate of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which adopts a strict position on hijab.

Arguing that the Muslim dress code is rather a religious symbol, the party backs banning school teachers from wearing hijab.

The FDP has not yet commented on JULIS's pro-hijab call.

Last week, the party's education affairs spokesman in the North Rhine, Ralph Fizel, backed plans to ban hijab in state schools.

North Rhine Schools Minister Barbara Sommer said late in August that Muslim teachers will be banned from wearing hijab at schools from next summer.

"Female and male teachers are not allowed to express any world views or any religious beliefs, which could disturb or endanger the peace at school," she said.

"That's why we want to forbid (female) Muslim teachers at state schools from wearing headscarves."

North Rhine - the largest German state - seeks to impose an all-out hijab ban in schools, a promise made by the Christian Democratic Party in the 2005 municipal election.

The issue of hijab ban in schools has triggered controversy in Germany.

In July 2003, the constitutional court, Germany's highest tribunal, ruled against a decision by the Baden-Wuerttemberg state to forbid a Muslim teacher from wearing hijab in the classroom.

But it said Germany's 16 regional states could issue new legislations to ban hijab if they believe it would influence children.

A number of states, including Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, still allowed hijab at schools.

Others, including Baden-Wurttemberg, Saarland and Lower Saxony, ban teaching stuff in state schools from wearing symbols that express religious, political, or ideological affiliation, including hijab.

The state of Hessen has amended its school laws, banning teachers from wearing any symbols of religious or political nature while allowing them a limited right to put on Christian or western symbols.

In Bavaria, laws were enforced in 2004 banning teachers from wearing religious symbols that are not harmonious with Christian cultural values.