A school in the canton of Basel-Country has rejected the appeal of a Muslim schoolboy who refused to shake hands with his female teachers for religious reasons.
The boy was one of two teenage brothers at a high school in Therwil who caused a nationwide furore earlier this year when they said shaking hands with female teachers went against their religion, which forbids physical contact with a member of the opposite sex who isn’t family.
In an attempt to find a compromise but avoid discrimination against women, the school initially agreed to exempt the boys from shaking hands with all teachers, regardless of gender.
However the situation subsequently triggered outrage across Switzerland because it was seen as an affront to an intrinsic part of Swiss culture – shaking hands with teachers is a common custom in Swiss schools. [The Local] Read more
