Muslim Suspended for Refusing to Shake Hands with Men

A female Muslim teacher was suspended by a Dutch school for refusing to shake hands with men. The management at Vader Rijn College asked the Equality Commission to examine the case to confirm whether it had acted correctly. The school teaches pre-vocational secondary education.
The woman, who is not native Dutch, was asked to stay at home after she decided on religious grounds not to shake hands with men ever again. The school feels this is unacceptable. School director Bart Engbers said the woman’s decision had come as a total surprise. She had been working at the school for a little over a year but her objection to shaking hands with men began at the beginning of the new school year.
„If she doesn’t want to shake hands at home, fine. But everyone is welcome at this school. Discussion is great, but religious and political flag-waving must stay at home,“ Engbers said. He said teachers had to set a good example. „We are preparing our boys and girls for the labour market. We all know how fragile the situation is for non-native Dutch young people. Therefore it is good that they shake hands during a job interview. We believe that is important.“ Moreover, refusing to shake hands with men is discrimination, the director said.
According to International Diversity consultant Michael Stuber, there are other, more inclusive ways of managing such situations. “It is important to acknowledge people’s values and respect that they don’t want to shake hands. There are certainly other ways to show respectful behaviour in business and educational contexts,” the expert comments.
Excerpted from: expatica.com