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Copyright, 2014
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June 21, 2016
Judge Tom
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Can a handshake be worth a $5,000 fine?

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Muslim student

It is tradition in Switzerland for students to shake their teacher’s hand in the morning and after the school day. It is considered a symbol of mutual respect and goodwill. So much so that refusal to shake a teacher’s hand may result in a fine up to $5,000 on the parents or guardian.

This issue made world news in May, 2016, when two Muslim students in a small town in Switzerland were granted a waiver of this tradition based on religious grounds. The brothers, ages 14 and 15, explained that shaking a female teacher’s hand was against their beliefs as Muslims because physical contact with the opposite sex is allowed only with family members. In order to avoid claims of discrimination, the school also waived the need to shake male teachers’ hands as well.

The local education department voided the waivers, thereby requiring the boys to shake both male and female teachers’ hands at school. They explained that “the public interest with respect to equality between men and women and the integration of foreigners significantly outweighs the freedom of religion.”  The matter is under investigation with an outcome that may not be acceptable to everyone involved.

What do you think of this situation? Should the school respect the principles of Islam and the boys’ practice while at school? Or should the boys compromise while at school and participate in the practice that all students engage in? When do religious beliefs trump school rules?

Photo by ResoluteSupportMedia

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The Author Judge Tom

Judge Tom is the founder and moderator of AsktheJudge.info. He is a retired juvenile judge and spent 23 years on the bench. He has written several books for lawyers and judges as well as teens and parents including 'Teen Cyberbullying Investigated' (Free Spirit Publishing) and 'Every Vote Matters: the Power of Your Voice, from Student Elections to the Supreme Court' (Free Spirit Publishing). In 2020, the American Bar Association published "Cyberbullying Law," the nation's first case-law book written for lawyers, judges and law students. When he's not answering teens' questions, Judge Tom volunteers with the American Red Cross and can be found hiking, traveling and reading.

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