Swiss Schools Fine Muslim Parents Who Refuse Mixed Swim Classes For Young Girls

Today's Sydney Morning Herald in a story from AFP reports that authorities in Basel, Switzerland have fined five Muslim families that have refused on religious grounds to permit their daughters, all under ten years of age, to attend compulsory mixed-gender swimming classes. The schools offer separate classes for boys and girls who have reached the age of puberty, but the head of the city's education department says that mixed classes for younger children were justified after consultations with religious organizations. Each family was fined 350 Swiss Francs ($335 US).