German court orders Muslim girl to join swim class

BERLIN: A court in Germany has ruled that a Muslim girl cannot be excused from mixed-sex swimming lessons on the grounds of religious belief.
The 13-year-old girl from Frankfurt had argued that the sight of bare-chested male pupils breached her religious modesty.
She also claimed that accepting the school’s offer that she herself could wear a full-body “burkini” swimsuit in the pool would expose her to discrimination among her peers.
But Germany’s Federal Administrative Court ruled Wednesday that it was reasonable to compromise between the girl’s religious freedom and the state’s duty to educate its citizens.
The Deutshe Press Agentur (DPA) news agency reported that the unnamed girl’s father said before the verdict that he would accept the ruling.
About 5 percent of Germany’s population of 80 million is Muslim.