A German public health agency disciplined a doctor Thursday for hanging a sign in his surgery that demanded Muslim women remove their headscarves.
The sign made headlines in September, at the same time as a bestselling book was attacking German Muslims for their alleged unwillingness to adopt German ways and learn to speak German.
A demerit notice will be attached to the doctor’s name for the next five years in the German medical register, said Cornelia Kur, a spokeswoman for the agency that oversees medical practices in the Frankfurt region.
The penalty was one harsher than the mildest disciplinary measure. He was convicted of breaching his duty to treat all patients regardless of sex, age, origin or creed. Kur said the doctor from the small town of Waechtersbach escaped a tougher penalty, such as a fine or being struck off the register, because he took the sign down, met with a Muslim group and publicly apologized.
The “rules” sign in his waiting room had said head-scarves were banned, very large families were not welcome and all patients had to speak German. He said later he never seriously meant to turn any patients away.