Two
Muslim girls, 12 and 14, have been denied Swiss citizenship after refusing to
participate in their school’s co-ed swimming lessons. It’s the latest example
of Switzerland rejecting applicants who don’t subscribe to an officially
sanctioned idea of Swiss culture.
The
two girls, who
live in Basel, were reportedly rejected for not adhering to school curriculum.
Their religion prevented them from being in the pool with boys. According to
Swiss media, the incident happened last year,
but was only publicized this week.
Swiss
authorities say the rejection could set precedent for future cases. To receive
Swiss citizenship, it’s not enough to show long-term residency, fluency in one
of the country’s three official languages and knowledge of its history and
geography. Applicant must also show they are integrated with Swiss society and
their local community. Getting the approval of local authorities, who decide
which applications to send to state and federal officials, is the first step—or
hurdle—in the naturalization process.
Just
weeks before Switzerland rebuffed the two teenager girls, in May, a Kosovar
family that had lived in a small Swiss village for a decade was rejected for
not being Swiss enough. According to The Local, all four family members spoke
German, and proved they knew local customs and geography. Local villagers
objected that they did not greet people on the street, and walked around town in sweatpants.
A
Syrian family’s citizenship bid was suspended in April after its two teenage
boys refused to shake hands with
a female teacher, a tradition in Swiss schools, citing religious reasons. The
case caused an uproar in the country,
provoking comments such as that of the justice minister, Simonetta Sommaruga,
who said that shaking hands is “is part of [Swiss] culture.”
On
Wednesday, in a separate case, a
father of Muslim girls was fined $4,000 for refusing to let his daughters
participate in swimming lessons.
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