Islamic teacher sacked over hand shake

A Utrecht school wants to sack a female Muslim teacher who refused to shake hands with men. The Vader Rijn College has sent the teacher a letter of dismissal, breaching an advisory ruling urging against the teacher’s sacking.

The teacher had earlier been suspended after she refused to shake hands with men last summer. The woman citied religious beliefs for her decision, despite the fact she had previously shaken hands with men.

The director of the vocational VMBO school said the Islamic teacher gave a bad example to students.

The Equal Treatment Commission recently issued an advisory ruling granting the teacher the right to refuse a hand shake. It said the Utrecht school should not sack her for this reason alone.

Expatica, 20 December 2006