(Switzerland) Muslim girl made to attend swimming lessons

[Call Me Wesley]

27. Here's a translation by your state.gov:

Regarding waivers on religious grounds from classes other than confessional instruction, there are no national guidelines, and practices vary. Some cantons have issued guidelines not to excuse pupils from swimming or physical education classes. In 2008 the Federal Tribunal reviewed its 1993 ruling regarding exemptions for students from swimming or other physical education classes on religious grounds. The Tribunal's 2008 ruling allows individual cantons to determine when exemptions from swimming lessons are permitted on religious grounds. In order to avoid exemptions from swimming lessons, a number of cantons decided to allow Muslim girls to use a full-coverage swimsuit.

http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148989.htm

So, mainly, it was handled by states (which are called 'cantons' here) individually, but this new verdict on federal grounds puts in a new perspective. It has nothing to do with swim safety issues; we all had swimming lessons in school, and the only way you could get out of it was if you were a girl and were on your period. Religion wasn't even considered then, but obviously is now.

It is an integration issue, and if you read the original lawsuit (or appeal,) it wasn't that swimming was against the religion but the fact the swim teacher was male, so therefore should have been banned teaching this girl.

There's a lot of BS going on over here right now regarding immigrants, and it comes from both sides. Admitting, the anti-immigrant side is burning more money than they have right now. What we need is a common ground. Before 9/11 we had it. Now it's just messed up and plays with the same fear you're exposed to any day.

P. S. My swimming teachers were both female. I only protested when they tried to force me into some semi-Olympics because I was the fastest swimmer they've ever seen. I just wasn't really into sports or competition. I liked swimming, though.

Not sure this helps.