SPIEGEL: At the end of January, your university wanted to ban facial veiling because a student with Nikab had come to a class. Were you able to enforce the ban?
Pistor-Hatam: No. We found that we lacked the legal basis for a complete ban. A university can only issue a guideline for specific situations.
SPIEGEL: Did you do that?
Pistor-Hatam: Yes. Before exams, a Nikab wearer must now lift her veil from a woman so that you know she really is. In addition, for safety reasons, no Nikab may be worn in certain situations, such as in the laboratory.
SPIEGEL: In February the university asked the state of Schleswig-Holstein to prohibit all universities from covering up completely, as Bavaria did. Since then, the dispute over it has torn apart the Jamaica coalition. Nothing was decided. Does that disappoint you?
Pistor-Hatam: It is a political process, so lengthy discussions could be expected. But the matter needs to be clarified. The Basic Law not only requires freedom of religion, but also freedom of science. In order to be able to exercise them, open communication is required.
SPIEGEL: Why do you think the decision-making process takes so long?
Pistor-Hatam: It is a complex and difficult question in many ways. The Greens in the Kiel Landtag have spoken out against a ban on full veiling in courses. But the Greens themselves are divided on this question. I have even heard from founding members of the Greens that they cannot understand the Group's arguments against a ban.
SPIEGEL: You are an Islamic scholar by nature. How mandatory is the veil to Islam?
Pistor-Hatam: There is no uniform opinion, but different interpretations of Islamic beliefs. But there are, of course, Muslim communities that require full veiling. Nevertheless, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that a ban on full veiling does not violate human rights - including religious freedom. The ECtHR has thus legitimized a law in France: women are no longer allowed to take to the streets there with a face veil.
SPIEGEL: Do you understand the reservations about a ban?
Pistor-Hatam: I understand the unease that this is a ban that once again only affects women, their bodies and their clothing. Salafist men, on the other hand, are allowed to run around and study with long beards and shorter pants. But that's the way it is: Muslim men don't cover their faces.
SPIEGEL: What about the student who triggered the argument?
Pistor-Hatam: She studies at our university with Nikab, but she may need to have her identity verified without a doubt.
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