The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in favor of Switzerland that Islamic girls will be in swimming pools together with boys in swimming lessons, BBC Radio reported.
The court said that the authorities, despite interfering with freedom of religion, were right to give priority to the implementation of the "full curriculum" and the "successful integration" of children into society.
The disputed case, which has been going on for almost a decade, was initiated by two Swiss parents of Turkish origin who refused to send their daughters to compulsory swimming lessons with boys.
However, Swiss education has initiated that physical education classes are compulsory for everyone, so back in 2010, parents were ordered to pay a 1.400 franc fine for "disrespecting parental duty".
The parents then complained that their right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion was violated, but the European Court of Human Rights concluded that this did not happen, and pointed out that the school has an important role in integrating into society in the interest of children.
The court noted that Swiss authorities had offered "very flexible solutions" to the problem of swimming lessons, allowing Muslim girls to wear "burkinis" rather than regular bathing suits, and having separate changing rooms.
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