German court orders Muslim girl to join swim class
13-year-old Frankfurt girl had argued swimming with male pupils breached her religious modesty.
BERLIN (AP) - 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 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.
