Germany's highest court has overturned a 2004 ban on headscarves for state school teachers, saying that it violated religious freedom.
The case puts the spotlight on the many debates and court cases in Europe over the wearing of veils by Muslim women - and the differences from one country to the next.
Muslims are certainly not the only ones affected by restrictions on religious dress codes.
For example, Sikhs have had to fight in court for the right to wear a turban in schools and at work, and Christians have claimed a right to wear chastity rings in schools and crucifixes at work.
Yet these cases have been less numerous and contentious than those involving Muslim veils.
The reason may lie in the fact that the increasing use of these veils in Europe has been interpreted by some as an attack on the national identity of some European countries, on Western notions of gender equality, and on a desirable degree of separation between state and religion.
Those keen on generally retaining the right to wear a veil counter-argue, among other things, that law and society should protect religious freedom, multiculturalism, and the rights of religious and ethnic minorities.