BERLIN (RNS) A Muslim student’s right to interrupt the school day for regular prayers will be decided by a Berlin court later this month.

According to a court press release, the case involves a 16-year-old student at a university-track high school in central Berlin who asked for space and time to be set aside for regular prayers, as prescribed by his faith.

The court has already permitted at least one prayer break a day, on a temporary basis. The point of the Sept. 29 hearing is to determine whether the right to interrupt the school day for prayers should be granted permanently, which could set a precedent.

The school has objected to the permission, arguing that it could not make special religious dispensations for students since government facilities must not provide special favors to any one group. But, in a 2008 ruling, the court argued that religious expression is a fundamental right and said there was no reason the school could not manage its curriculum to allow time for the prayers.