In Switzerland, as in many other countries, a handshake is a symbol of mutual respect and goodwill. Students commonly shake their teachers’ hands at the beginning and end of each day as a polite way of greeting and saying goodbye.(Photo: Jupiterimages, Thinkstock)
GENEVA —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Educational authorities in Switzerland ruled<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Wednesday that the parents or guardians of students who refuse to shake a teacher's hand — a Swiss tradition<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>can be fined up to $5,000.
The decision comes after a school<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in the northern town of Therwil, near Basel, agreed last month to allow two teenage Muslim boys to refuse to shake hands with their female teachers on religious grounds. The school also decided the boys would not shake hands with male teachers to avoid discrimination.
The incident sparked a national debate — Swiss students often shake their teachers’ hands at the beginning and end of the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>day.
USA TODAY
Muslim students' handshake refusal irks Swiss
The two brothers, ages<span style="color: Red;">*</span>14 and 15, had argued that shaking a female teacher’s hand was against their beliefs as Muslims because physical contact with the opposite sex is allowed only with<span style="color: Red;">*</span>family members.
One of the brothers<span style="color: Red;">*</span>posted material in support of the Islamic State on his<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Facebook page,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Basler Zeitung website<span style="color: Red;">*</span>
reported.
The school's decision was temporary, pending legal advice from the regional government.
USA TODAY
Voices: Swiss handshake hoopla raises age-old questions
The local Education Department explained in a statement Wednesday that the school's exemption was lifted because “the public interest with respect to equality between men and women and the integration of foreigners significantly outweighs the freedom of religion.” It added that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>teacher has the right to demand a handshake.
The statement<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said if the students refuse to shake hands again, "the sanctions called for by law will be applied."
USA TODAY
Voices: Swiss handshake hoopla raises age-old questions
About 400,000<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Muslims live in Switzerland, 5% of the country's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>population of 8<span style="color: Red;">*</span>million.
"Shaking hands when greeting one another is part of the culture in Switzerland and practiced as such at Therwil schools," Therwil's local council said in a statement last month. "The decision of the school therefore doesn't reflect the position of the community council in this matter."
Shortly after the teenage boys' refusal to shake hands became public, their family’s application for Swiss citizenship<span style="color: Red;">*</span>filed in January<span style="color: Red;">*</span>was put on hold. Authorities said they would investigate the circumstances under which the boys’ father, an imam at a mosque, arrived in Switzerland from Syria more than a decade ago.
Onyanga-Omara reported from London.
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