The Local Switzerland

Eight sentenced over attack by Muslims at Swiss mosque

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 21:52:57 +0200

A Swiss court has handed eight men suspended sentences of up to 18 months for their role in a 2016 attack in which two worshippers at a controversial mosque in Winterthur were beaten, locked up and threatened with death over suspicions they had tipped off journalists about a radical sermon preached by an imam.

Imam found guilty of incitement to violence

Fri, 24 Nov 2017 10:53:13 +0100

An Ethiopian who served as imam at a mosque in Winterthur has been found guilty of inciting violence after calling on worshippers to murder non-practising Muslims.

European court rules Muslim girls in Switzerland must take school swimming lessons

Tue, 10 Jan 2017 12:31:28 +0100

Muslim girls in Switzerland should not be exempted from mixed-sex school swimming lessons, the European Court of Human Rights has said in a landmark ruling.

Three injured in shooting at Islamic Centre in Zurich

Mon, 19 Dec 2016 22:54:01 +0100

A man burst into a Muslim prayer hall in Zurich on Monday and started shooting, injuring three men, according to police, who have launched a manhunt for the shooter.

Muslim woman wins headscarf court battle

Sun, 23 Oct 2016 15:27:37 +0200

A Swiss court has ruled against a company that fired a longtime employee after she began wearing the Muslim headscarf, marking one of the first such rulings in Switzerland, media reported on Sunday.

Swiss politician argues against hijab in ID photos

Fri, 23 Sep 2016 12:50:56 +0200

Should the Islamic headscarf be banned in photographs for official Swiss documents? One politician is suggesting so.

Muslim pupils must shake hands – ‘no ifs and buts’

Tue, 20 Sep 2016 12:22:56 +0200

A school in the canton of Basel-Country has rejected the appeal of a Muslim schoolboy who refused to shake hands with his female teachers for religious reasons.

Geneva advises teachers on religion in school

Wed, 24 Aug 2016 14:03:37 +0200

As children start the new school year, the secular canton of Geneva has issued guidelines for teachers on how to deal with religious issues in the classroom.

Man claims ‘scientific’ interest in explosives after police raid

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 11:27:45 +0200

A Swiss man whose apartment was raided by police has protested against the seizure of explosive material found at his home, saying he simply had an interest in chemistry.

Court fines Muslim father in latest swimming lessons row

Thu, 30 Jun 2016 10:59:43 +0200

A Muslim father was fined in Switzerland on Wednesday for refusing to allow his daughters to take swimming lessons at school, in the latest case exposing the challenges of integration in the alpine country.

Muslim school kids must swim to be Swiss

Tue, 28 Jun 2016 11:57:52 +0200

Authorities in Basel have denied two Muslim teenage girls a Swiss passport because they refused to participate in school swimming lessons and residential camps on religious grounds.

Basel: Muslim schoolboys must shake hands or face fine

Wed, 25 May 2016 12:54:00 +0200

School students must shake their teachers’ hands or their parents will be liable to pay a fine of up to 5,000 francs, authorities in the canton of Basel-Country have ruled.

Anger as Basel pool bans 'maxi burqinis'

Fri, 29 Apr 2016 14:23:02 +0200

A swimming pool in Basel which is popular with Muslims has banned certain types of burqinis as part of a suite of rule changes designed to improve conditions at the venue.

Family in handshake row wants to be Swiss

Mon, 18 Apr 2016 12:49:37 +0200

The family of the two Muslim schoolboys who refused to shake hands with their female teachers has applied for Swiss citizenship, a local paper has discovered.

Bank blacklists Swiss travel agent for being named Isis

Fri, 15 Apr 2016 14:04:47 +0200

Being named after an ancient Egyptian goddess doesn’t make for a smooth banking experience in today’s world, given the case of one travel agent in Lausanne.

School brings in legal expert over handshake issue

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 14:19:04 +0200

A Swiss legal expert will decide on the validity of a controversial decision by a school in northern Switzerland that allows male Muslim students to avoid shaking hands with female teachers for religious reasons, an official said on Tuesday.

Muslim boys refuse to shake hands with female teachers

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 10:34:39 +0200

Male Muslim students will no longer have to shake hands with their female teachers, a school in northern Switzerland has said, a decision that caused an uproar in the country on Monday.

Muslim girl made to attend swimming lessons

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:27:00 +0200

Integration comes before religion, according to the country’s supreme court. It ruled that a 14-year-old Muslim girl could not be excused from swimming lessons because the teacher was male.

'I won't let my girls swim with boys': Muslim dad

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:16:00 +0200

A Muslim father in Basel is refusing to let his daughters participate in mixed swimming lessons, despite having been taken to court and fined several times.

Muslim girls must swim with boys: Swiss court

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:43:00 +0200

A Muslim family in Basel has been fined 1,400 francs ($1,550) for refusing to let its daughters participate in mixed swimming classes.