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Swiss ruling overturns Muslim pupils' handshake exemption
Source: Agence France-Presse
Swiss ruling overturns Muslim pupils' handshake exemption
AFP in Geneva
Wednesday 25 May 2016 19.16 BST
Religious belief is no excuse for refusing to shake a teacher’s hand, authorities in a northern Swiss region have ruled, reversing a school’s decision to grant exemptions for Muslim pupils unwilling to touch the opposite sex.
Parents of pupils who refuse to shake a teacher’s hand at schools in the northern canton of Basel-Country could now face fines of up to 5,000 Swiss francs (£3,400), regional education authorities said on Wednesday.
“A teacher has the right to demand a handshake,” they said in a statement.
The decision comes after a national uproar arose over revelations last month that a middle school allowed two Syrian brothers, aged 14 and 15, to be exempt from having to shake their teachers’ hands after they complained that doing so was counter to their religious beliefs if the teacher was a woman.
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That decision – made independently by the school in Therwil – triggered an outcry across Switzerland, where the tradition of students shaking their teachers’ hands as a sign of respect is deeply entrenched.
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AFP in Geneva
Wednesday 25 May 2016 19.16 BST
Religious belief is no excuse for refusing to shake a teacher’s hand, authorities in a northern Swiss region have ruled, reversing a school’s decision to grant exemptions for Muslim pupils unwilling to touch the opposite sex.
Parents of pupils who refuse to shake a teacher’s hand at schools in the northern canton of Basel-Country could now face fines of up to 5,000 Swiss francs (£3,400), regional education authorities said on Wednesday.
“A teacher has the right to demand a handshake,” they said in a statement.
The decision comes after a national uproar arose over revelations last month that a middle school allowed two Syrian brothers, aged 14 and 15, to be exempt from having to shake their teachers’ hands after they complained that doing so was counter to their religious beliefs if the teacher was a woman.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
That decision – made independently by the school in Therwil – triggered an outcry across Switzerland, where the tradition of students shaking their teachers’ hands as a sign of respect is deeply entrenched.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/25/switzerland-ruling-overturns-muslim-pupils-handshake-exemption-religion
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
One side thinks someone has the right to demand a handshake, regardless of how the other party feels about touching them. The other side doesn't want to shake hands because they think girls have cooties.
