A court says that fines imposed on Muslim parents in canton Basel-City for keeping their children out of mandatory school swimming lessons were correct.
A cantonal administrative court on Friday threw out the appeal of a Muslim couple against their fine, ruling that it was not in breach of freedom of religion and conscience.
The parents were fined SFr1,400 ($1,816) last year – in the first move of its kind - after they withdrew their daughters aged seven and nine from the school swimming lessons.
The court said it had based its ruling on the latest decision by the federal court. Compulsory schooling meant that all parents were obliged to send their children to school and that children had the right to adequate schooling, the Basel-City court said in a statement. This included sport and swimming lessons which before puberty are mixed in the canton. [swissinfo.ch] Read more [via Islam in Europe]
