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GENEVA — In the latest move to deny citizenship to those who balk at Swiss
culture, authorities rejected the naturalization application of two Muslim
girls who refused to take school swimming lessons because boys were present.
The girls, ages 12 and 14, who live in the northern city of Basel, had
applied for Swiss citizenship several months ago, but their request was
denied, Swiss media reported Tuesday.
The girls, whose names were not disclosed, said their religion prevents them
from participating in compulsory swimming lessons with males in the pool at
the same time. Their naturalization application was rejected because the
sisters did not comply with the school curriculum, Basel authorities said.
“Whoever doesn’t fulfill these conditions violates the law and therefore
cannot be naturalized,” Stefan Wehrle, president of the naturalization
committee, told TV station SRF on Tuesday.
The case shows how those who don’t follow Swiss rules and customs won't
become citizens, even if they have lived in the country for a long time, are
fluent in one of the national languages — German, French or Italian — and
are gainfully employed.
In April, members of an immigrant family in the Basel area were denied
citizenship because they wore sweatpants around town and did not greet
passersby — a sure sign that they were not sufficiently assimilated, the
naturalization board claimed.
Another recent case sparked widespread outrage in Switzerland when two
Muslim brothers refused to shake hands with their female teacher, also
citing religious restrictions. Shaking hands with a teacher is a common
practice in Swiss schools.
After that incident was widely publicized, authorities suspended the
naturalization request from the boys’ father, an imam at the Basel mosque.
The swimming case involving the two girls is the first to deny
naturalization applications for not complying with a school program, setting
precedence for future cases, Wehrle said.
This is not the first time Switzerland’s Muslim community has stirred
controversy over swimming lessons. In 2012, a family was fined $1,500 for
forbidding their daughters to participate in swimming classes.
The matter eventually ended up in the Supreme Court, which ruled that no
dispensations from swimming lessons should be made on religious grounds.
In Switzerland, unlike in the United States and many other countries,
integration into society is more important for naturalization than knowledge
of national history or politics. Candidates for citizenship must prove that
they are well assimilated in their communities and respect local customs
and traditions.
In Switzerland, local town or village councils make initial decisions on
naturalization applications. If they decide a candidate is not an upstanding
member of the community, the application will be denied and not forwarded
to canton (state) and federal authorities for further processing.
That’s what happened in 2014 to Irving Dunn, an American who has lived in
Switzerland for nearly 40 years. He was denied Swiss citizenship because he
could not name any of his Swiss friends or neighboring villages, authorities
said.
“The applicant’s answers have shown that his motive for naturalization is
not about integration but about the personal advantages it offers,” the
naturalization commission ruled.
Dunn did not deny the charge, telling the English-language news service, The
Local, "It can be expected that persons mainly want personal advantages
from citizenship," such as the right to vote and live indefinitely in
Switzerland.
culture, authorities rejected the naturalization application of two Muslim
girls who refused to take school swimming lessons because boys were present.
The girls, ages 12 and 14, who live in the northern city of Basel, had
applied for Swiss citizenship several months ago, but their request was
denied, Swiss media reported Tuesday.
The girls, whose names were not disclosed, said their religion prevents them
from participating in compulsory swimming lessons with males in the pool at
the same time. Their naturalization application was rejected because the
sisters did not comply with the school curriculum, Basel authorities said.
“Whoever doesn’t fulfill these conditions violates the law and therefore
cannot be naturalized,” Stefan Wehrle, president of the naturalization
committee, told TV station SRF on Tuesday.
The case shows how those who don’t follow Swiss rules and customs won't
become citizens, even if they have lived in the country for a long time, are
fluent in one of the national languages — German, French or Italian — and
are gainfully employed.
In April, members of an immigrant family in the Basel area were denied
citizenship because they wore sweatpants around town and did not greet
passersby — a sure sign that they were not sufficiently assimilated, the
naturalization board claimed.
Another recent case sparked widespread outrage in Switzerland when two
Muslim brothers refused to shake hands with their female teacher, also
citing religious restrictions. Shaking hands with a teacher is a common
practice in Swiss schools.
After that incident was widely publicized, authorities suspended the
naturalization request from the boys’ father, an imam at the Basel mosque.
The swimming case involving the two girls is the first to deny
naturalization applications for not complying with a school program, setting
precedence for future cases, Wehrle said.
This is not the first time Switzerland’s Muslim community has stirred
controversy over swimming lessons. In 2012, a family was fined $1,500 for
forbidding their daughters to participate in swimming classes.
The matter eventually ended up in the Supreme Court, which ruled that no
dispensations from swimming lessons should be made on religious grounds.
In Switzerland, unlike in the United States and many other countries,
integration into society is more important for naturalization than knowledge
of national history or politics. Candidates for citizenship must prove that
they are well assimilated in their communities and respect local customs
and traditions.
In Switzerland, local town or village councils make initial decisions on
naturalization applications. If they decide a candidate is not an upstanding
member of the community, the application will be denied and not forwarded
to canton (state) and federal authorities for further processing.
That’s what happened in 2014 to Irving Dunn, an American who has lived in
Switzerland for nearly 40 years. He was denied Swiss citizenship because he
could not name any of his Swiss friends or neighboring villages, authorities
said.
“The applicant’s answers have shown that his motive for naturalization is
not about integration but about the personal advantages it offers,” the
naturalization commission ruled.
Dunn did not deny the charge, telling the English-language news service, The
Local, "It can be expected that persons mainly want personal advantages
from citizenship," such as the right to vote and live indefinitely in
Switzerland.
