GARGLEBLASTER Loc: Spain

Switzerland: What's in a Handshake?



Sometimes it's the little things that are most telling. In Switzerland it has long been customary for students to shake the hands of their teachers at the beginning and end of the school day. It's a sign of solidarity and mutual respect between teacher and pupil, one that is thought to encourage the right classroom atmosphere. Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga recently felt compelled to further explain that shaking hands was part of Swiss culture and daily life.

And the reason she felt compelled to speak out about the handshake is that two Muslim brothers, aged 14 and 15, who have lived in Switzerland for several years (and thus are familiar with its mores), in the town of Therwil, near Basel, refused to shake the hands of their teacher, a woman, because, they claimed, this would violate Muslim teachings that contact with the opposite sex is allowed only with family members. At first the school authorities decided to avoid trouble, and initially granted the boys an exemption from having to shake the hand of any female teacher. But an uproar followed, as Mayor Reto Wolf explained to the BBC: "the community was unhappy with the decision taken by the school. In our culture and in our way of communication a handshake is normal and sends out respect for the other person, and this has to be brought [home] to the children in school."

Therwil's Educational Department reversed the school's decision, explaining in a statement on May 25 that the school's exemption was lifted because "the public interest with respect to e******y between men and women and the integration of foreigners significantly outweighs the freedom of religion." It added that a teacher has the right to demand a handshake. Furthermore, if the students refused to shake hands again "the sanctions called for by law will be applied," which included a possible fine of up to 5,000 dollars.

This uproar in Switzerland, where many people were enraged at the original exemption granted to the Muslim boys, did not end after that exemption was itself overturned by the local Educational Department. The Swiss understood quite clearly that this was more than a little quarrel over handshakes; it was a fight over whether the Swiss would be masters in their own house, or whether they would be forced to yield, by the granting of special treatment, to the Islamic view of the proper relations between the sexes. It is one battle - small but to the Swiss significant - between o'erweening Muslim immigrants and the indigenous Swiss.

Naturally, once the exemption was withdrawn, all hell broke loose among Muslims in Switzerland. The Islamic Central Council of Switzerland, instead of yielding quietly to the Swiss decision to uphold the handshaking custom, criticized the ruling in hysterical terms, claiming that the enforcement of the handshaking is "totalitarian" (!) because its intent is to "forbid religious people from meeting their obligations to God." That, of course, was never the "intent" of the long-standing handshaking custom, which was a nearly-universal custom in Switzerland, and in schools had to do only with encouraging the right classroom atmosphere of mutual respect between instructor and pupil, of which the handshake was one aspect. The Swiss formulation of the problem - weighing competing claims - will be familiar to Americans versed in Constitutional adjudication. In this case "the public interest with respect to e******y" of the sexes and the "integration of foreigners" (who are expected to adopt Swiss ways, not force the Swiss to exempt them from some of those ways) were weighed against the "religious obligations to God" of Muslims, and the former interests found to outweigh the latter.

What this case shows is that even at the smallest and seemingly inconsequential level, Muslims are challenging the laws and customs of the Infidels among whom they have been allowed to settle. Each little victory, or defeat, will determine whether Muslims will truly integrate into a Western society or, instead, refashion that society to meet Muslim requirements. The handshake has been upheld and, what's more, a stiff fine now will be imposed on those who continue to refuse to shake hands with a female teacher. This is a heartening sign of non-surrender by the Swiss. But the challenges of the Muslims within Europe to the laws and customs of the indigenes have no logical end and will not stop. And the greater the number of Muslims allowed to settle in Europe, the stronger and more frequent their challenges will be. They are attempting not to integrate, but rather to create, for now, a second, parallel society, and eventually, through sheer force of numbers from both migration and by outbreeding the Infidels, to fashion not a parallel society but one society - now dominated by Muslims.

The Swiss handshaking dispute has received some, but not enough, press attention. Presumably, it's deemed too inconsequential a matter to bother with. But the Swiss know better. And so should we.

There's an old Scottish saying that in one variant reads: "Many a little makes a mickle." That is, the accumulation of many little things leads to one big thing. That's what's happening in Europe today. This was one victory for the side of sanity. There will need to be a great many more.

exakta56 Loc: Orford,New Hampshire

We accept standards of safety for automobiles. Cars must meet minimum standards which protect the driver and occupants. Brakes are a basic requirement. Windshield wipers are too deemed important. The list is long and comprehensive and we more or less accept these requirements because they insure a minimum chance of survival.
So why not a standard for religions? Just think what a code of ethics [although I'm not convinced that with the long history of bloody religious wars that 'ethics ' is the right word] would do for calming the raging seas of disparate religions. Crackpot ideas about covering women from head to toe would fail the test. Stoning and beheading would become a thing of the past. Well, you get the idea. Oh, and little boys could comfortably shake the hand of a woman because they no longer were being taught i***tic drivel. Just a thought.

whitewolfowner

When one immigrates to another society, they are entering into THEIR society and should either accept the customs of the locals or GET OUT! Sure when outsiders enter into a new society eventually some of their cultures mingle and some of the customs of the out siders is accepting into their over all society, but that's because the new custom is either accepted by respect and understanding or because it was a better idea than theirs, thus improving the over all customs and activities of all. But when an outsider comes in and tries to shove their customs down everyone throats, then we have to seriously question why they are here. The answer through out history has been to drive them out, send them back to where they came from or exterminate them. This is why America and Europe today is so ignorant and gullible; their young have not been taught history and so many of the adults, the history they were taught was nothing more than propaganda; making the societies today as ignorant and dumb as they are today. This is how we got into the mess we are in now and if we don't wake up real soon, we are doomed.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Great idea! The first step would be to form a government committee charged with designing the specs for a new, official religion. What could go wrong?

whitewolfowner

That sounds like a directive from the New World Order.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Oh, you've heard of us?

GregWCIL Loc: Illinois

Jerry, an amazing example of a few words speaking volumes.

exakta56 Loc: Orford,New Hampshire

Sometime ago, on a PBS TV program called 'Ethics and Religion' five college students were in a discussion group where they talked about their own and each other's religious beliefs. Sounds good so far. What could possibly be wrong in knowing more about your fellow believers? A Catholic, a Jew, a Protestant, A Hindi [as I recall] and a Muslim. Everything seemed to going well, understanding was improving and there seemed to be tranquility...until one young woman asked the young man who embraced the Muslim faith about the 70 virgins reward upon entering heaven. He immediately became defensive and his face reddened as he angrily explained his 't***h'. If you, dear reader, think that religion makes for a better world, where defending one's imaginary ideas and giving one's life to either protect those absurd imaginations or as is more often the case: k**l those who disagree, then this historical rollercoaster of k*****g and maiming and burning will continue.
In a nutshell: freedom FROM religion rather than freedom OF religion.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

"IMAGINE..." John Lennon

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

I thought it was 72. Only 70? Forget it! Actually I read where some high muckity-muck promised jihadi fighters that if they martyred themselves during this Ramadan that they would get TEN times the number of virgins. Holy crap! That might be too much of a good thing! Which comedian was it who said: "72 virgins? How about just a few women who know what the heck they are doing!"

Cykdelic Loc: Now outside of Chiraq & Santa Fe, NM

Thanks foe the link.......EXCELLENT viewpoint by the Swiss. Perhaps the U.S. could get a clue from this?

One Rude Dawg Loc: Athol, ID

We had better get a clue from this. Does anybody think that if they gained control of things they would give anyone any consideration of their customs? I think not , just observe ther own country and the way it is run now. They can not even tolerate differences within their own religion.

whitewolfowner

There is a difference between anti religion and anti God; either being an atheist or Satanic worshipper. The religions of today problem is that they have strayed from God's teachings and will and gone to Satan's. This why so many are denying their faith. They realize that the teachings they have received from their churches are not right, may not understand why, so they reject them. Problem is, the alternative ideas they pick up on, mostly all new age BS, comes form the same source, just with the gift wrapping that sounds so appealing and correct for them.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Actually, there is a reason they are virgins, and it ain't pretty....
(Why they require Burkas)


I think bullets should be replaced with pig guts bombs and centerfold pictures.
Might hasten the quest for the virgins....

phcaan Loc: Willow Springs, MO

I would be more interested in freedom from Liberalism.