|
Pool case loses to Swedish Muslim women |
|
|
|
|
Written by Islamic Times
|
|
Thursday, 31 January 2008 |
|
Swedish court awards damages to Muslim women in pool clothing dispute. It was a case of wearing too much, not too little that got a couple of Muslim women in trouble with authorities in Goteborg, Sweden.
But now it's Sweden's second-largest city that finds itself caught with its pants down in the dispute over what constitutes appropriate clothing at a public swimming pool.
The women - dressed in head scarves, sweatpants and long-sleeved T-shirts - accompanied their children to the public pool on two separate occasions in April 2004.
They were asked to leave after refusing requests by lifeguards to change into something lighter. The lifeguards said their clothing did not comply with the pool's safety and hygiene regulations.
The Court of Appeal in Western Sweden disagreed. In overturning a lower court ruling Tuesday, the appeal court ordered the city to pay the women the equivalent of $3,100 each for discriminating against them "in a way that is linked to their religion."
if (adtag_lang != "fr") adtag.display(21); It also said they had been exposed "to treatment that leads to discomfort," and that being asked to change to lighter bathing gear could "generally be experienced as alienating."
Gunnar Andersson, a lawyer for the city, said it was not yet clear whether Goteborg officials would appeal the ruling.
Source: Associated Press
|
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 31 January 2008 )
|
