Dutch Agency Finds Discrimination Against Muslim Teaching Applicant

In Netherlands, the Dutch Equal Treatment Commission has held that the Regional Education Center in the city of Utrecht illegally "discriminated, indirectly, on the basis of religion," when it rejected Fatima Amghar who had applied for its teacher training program. Today's Khaleej Times reports on the case. Amghar's Muslim religious beliefs preclude her from shaking hands (or otherwise coming into physical contact) with men over 12 years of age. The Education Center argued that shaking hands was a routine part of a teaching assistant's job. However, the Equal Treatment Commission said that "there are other conceivable manners of greeting that can be considered proper and respectful".