today-is-a-good-day
4.3 C
New York
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsSwiss Suspends Citizenship Applications For Muslim Teens For Refusing to Shake Women’s...

Swiss Suspends Citizenship Applications For Muslim Teens For Refusing to Shake Women’s Hands

  • The boys told education officials that shaking hands with women outside the family is against their faith

Two Muslim boys in Switzerland saw their application for citizenship suspended on Tuesday, following their refusal to shake hands with their female teachers on religious grounds.

The two brothers, ages 14 and 15, told authorities in the town of Therwil in the country’s North that their religion prohibited physical contact with members of the opposite sex that were not family, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Education officials originally exempted them from the Swiss tradition of students shaking hands with their teachers, but told them to also refrain from doing so with male teachers in order to avoid gender discrimination.

However, AFP says, several politicians objected to the exemption and the matter became a subject of national debate, with Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga saying that “shaking hands is part of [Swiss] culture.”

Advertisements

Authorities in Basel-Country, within which Therwil is situated, confirmed the suspension but said it was a fairly common occurrence, as authorities often seek additional information about families applying for naturalization. The boys’ father was granted asylum from Syria in 2001 and works as an imam in Basel.

Just over 4% of Switzerland’s 8 million-strong population is Muslim.

Advertisements

RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

- Advertisment -

Most Popular

Recent Comments

Onuegbu Chuks Theophilus on Mikel Obi quits Super Eagles
Thomas H. Anderson on Roman Goddess_3
Oladimeji Emmanuel on Obama sends investors to Buhari