Muslim Man Jailed For Stopping Daughter Taking Swimming Lessons

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A Muslim immigrant from Bosnia has been sent to jail in Switzerland for refusing to allow his daughter to take swimming lessons at school.

The man had insisted that a full body Islamic swimming costume would still have left parts of his daughter’s body visible to prying eyes.

The Daily Star reports:

Bosnian immigrant Emir Tahirovic, 40, had already come into criticism from school officials by insisting that his daughter wear a hijab.

Education officials had tried to ban it but he fought them in court and eventually won permission.

He also banned her from taking skiing lessons in the Alpine country along with her school pals.

But when he refused to allow the 14-year-old to go swimming as well, he was reported and prosecuted.

Bearded Tahirovic had argued that even with a full-body swimming costume his daughter’s body could still be seen, and he was not prepared to allow that.

Education officials responsible for the school in St Margrethen in the Canton of St Gallen told local media that they had become fed up with giving exceptions to the man for his daughter and had warned him to either allow her to be treated the same as others, or face the consequences.

And now he has been given a four-month jail term for his actions which were regarded as obstructing his daughter’s right to integrate and refusing her the right to follow the school curriculum.

His lawyer who is appealing the conviction claims that education officials had not made it clear how serious the consequences would be and had simply branded him as an extremist.

However the appeal is unlikely to succeed.swimming

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