Lausanne, Switzerland. The federal court as expected upheld its decision of 3 years ago that Muslim children should not be given permission to skip the obligatory mixed-gender swimming lessons in the public schools. (BGE135 I 79)
This is shown in a new decision where the appeal of parents was rejected. The parents were fined each 700 Swiss Francs because they kept their not yet ten year old daughters away from the swimming lessons.
According to the decision of the Second Public Law Division there is no need of a change in the practice. On the contrary there was a public interest in the integration of the Muslim public.
This public interest permits, based on the lawful basis of the cantonal schools laws and the teaching plans based on them, to restrict the basic right of religious freedom in a relevant form.
Decision: 2C_666/2011 dated 07.03.2012
Read here the original in NEUE ZUERCHER ZEITUNG
Categories: Education, Europe, Human Rights, Interfaith tolerance, Islam, Religious Values, Switzerland
Here we really have ‘a clash of civilizations’.
Muslims would not like to send their boys even to ‘boys only’ swimming event, because after the swimming lessons all boys are showering together naked.
What are the readers suggestions how to proceed in such a case?
(not to speak of the mixed-gender swimming)…
The government of Switzerland has made an effort to teach all children to swim to prevent children from drowning and teaching them at a young age will give them a life long survival tool. Instead of trying to get their kids out of swimming, parents and the schools could try to come up with a solution like private lessons to make up the school requirements. As a pediatrician, I fully support teaching both girls and boys how to swim as it can save their life. If Swiss Muslims are having problems than they should definitely come up with a solution like providing/renting/building pool environments that are not mixed gender and with proper privacy in the locker rooms. The thing is that even one drowning because of privacy issues/modesty issues/religious issues of 10 year olds is inexcusable. The state should continue its policy of teaching children to swim, but they should also be open to different cultural approaches. On the other hand Muslims should not just pull their kids out of swimming, but should offer alternatives, so they aren’t guilty of negligence.
I agree whole-heartedly to Waleed sb’s sentiments. It is very important for us to learn how to swim and by extension, how to behave when confronted with an emergency situation.
Having been a swimming teacher, this was one of my first lessons in swimming – being ‘water friendly’.
There are many people out there, who, despite knowing how to swim, when confronted with an emergency situation, still drown. They don’t know how to deal with it!
Why mix up two issues. Giving swimming lessons is one issue which no Muslim would have any objection. The other issue is about mix gender swimming or children even of same gender taking shower NAKED together is not permissible in Islam. How can a country like Switzerland champion of human rights and freedom of relgion not show any religious sensibility? Where does Swis law state that children should have shower together NAKED? Does Swis hospitals bathrooms/shower rooms are without doors so that patients of same gendrer or opposite gender can just walk in while someone is already having a shower? I am sure NOT. Muslim children with swimming trunks can have shower as a separate group – an arrangement that can easily be made. Children above 10 years should not have swimming lessons in mixed gender. If schools can make special need arrangement for disable person, similarly they should do for Muslim children if Switzerland is sincere in its human rights efforts.
Yes, I agree with Nasir sb, totally. Even in the so-called developing countries, this is taken into account, especially where Muslims are concerned. Therefore, I cannot understand the lack of privacy and segregated swimming in so-called advanced countries.
The PTA should raise this issue in their meetings and come up with a solution as suggested by Nasir sb.
What a load of B.S. the European court doesn’t tell people how to live there life. Swimming pools have men only and women only days not just for people of a certain faith this shitty lies are pissing me off.
I can see this from the various points of view! I remember when the Christian parents did not allow their kids to take the dancing, acting, yoga, etc classes!! Just brought a Note from home, and were given alternative activities!
Perhaps these Parents can be allowed to hire own swim teacher, and bring a Certificate upon completion!? This is allowed in our Western schools who cannot/ don’t want to take a certain gym class for whatever reason! Why not here?
When all said and done, I need to conclude that this Court Decision was overly too Heavy-handed! And a Financial Penalty is ludicrous!!
Why Christian and Secular kids allowed to skip, but not another Religion????? Perhaps because they are Muslim??
I find this decision quite frightening. But isn’t there a more important principle at stake here? Parents are responsible for bringing up their own children – and it is parents (not the state, or ECHR) who are best placed to make these decisions in their children’s best interests, until they are old enough to decide for themselves. How is it hurting anybody else if a couple of girls don’t go to school swimming lessons? Some schools might not even offer swimming lessons. Leave them alone! Surely there are more important issues to make a fuss about! I wonder how much money was spent on all the legal fees…. In any case, ECHR decisions are only morally binding, not legally binding. (ie it looks bad if a country doesn’t comply – but if the country does refuse, then ECHR can’t do much about it).
Having been a teacher in a multi-cultural school I have first-hand experience of this. The pupils go to the pool together but when changed the Muslim girls go with female coaches to one end of the pool whilst the boys stay at the other end. Also, the girls usually wear leggings and tee-shirts beneath their cozzies, which literally must be a bit of a drag when in the water and learning to swim. Also, it’s not unusual for Muslim mothers to accompany them and to oversee the activities from the sidelines. Surprised to read this as when I was young and that wasn’t yesterday, the boys and girls never had swimming at the same time. No one can force what the others didn’t want to do! You Europeans you have own culture and we have own culture. So you can not teach and force us to deal how the Muslims will swim.
Everybody has right to practice his/her own religious code. If you want to put pressure upon somebodies spiritual feelings eventually it will give birth of fanaticism. Today you ban Islamic dress code, Muslims will get angry, tomorrow they will make decision for revenge and after couple day they bomb on you- this is the cycle. Same thing will happen if I force a Christian to give up his religious practice, he will bomb upon my mosque. This EU court decision is nothing, but straight way to irritate a peace loving community and convert them into Frankenstein.
It’s observed that most of the terrorists are from moderate educated Muslim families rather than Madrasah. It’s because Madrasah students know about history of Islam therefore don’t react when true face of Islam revealed to them as they accept it as part of Islam. But moderate Muslim families children grow up with the learning of greatness of Islam and it’s prophet. They give prophet highest honour evaluating him in the light of western as well as school level Islamic learning which taught them how to judge a person character based on certain traits. Their believe about Islam gets serious thrust when true face of Islam presented to them as it directly collides with their learning about western values of judging a person . They feel it’s conspiracy against Islam and the whole world is against Islamic values which let them to transform to terrorists.
In the West we give parents the freedom to choose how they want to bring their children up. We do not require conformity like other cultures.
Various parents decide they don’t want their children learning about sex in school or they insist their children cant eat certain things because of their beliefs. You must think these privileges should be stopped to?
IA
http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk