Overview
- The Berlin Administrative Court ruled Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, that Diesterweg-Gymnasium may bar the demonstrative practice of religious rites on school grounds and in classes.
- The judges said the school-order clause prohibits all demonstrative rites without singling out a faith and that the restriction is justified to preserve school peace after the school described past conflicts over religious practice.
- The case was brought by the civil-rights group Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte, which argued the rule disproportionately affects Muslim students and violates the Berlin anti-discrimination law.
- The school order at issue reads, “Die demonstrative Ausübung von religiösen Riten und extrem politischen Handlungen sind im Interesse des Schulfriedens untersagt,” and the court characterized that wording as neutral; the ruling is not yet final and is not appealable in the current procedural posture (Az.: VG 3 K 710/25).
- The dispute touches on broader tensions in German schools over religious freedom, student safety and space for worship, and the ruling may influence how other Berlin schools and courts weigh similar challenges under the Landesantidiskriminierungsgesetz.