Between law and politics: Muslim religious practices in Swiss public schools
Fabienne Bretscher
University of Zurich, , SwitzerlandAbstract
Switzerland is currently confronted with a strong political movement that aims at restricting civil rights of certain minority groups, in particular Muslims. This has led to several limitations to their religious practices, some of them even approved by popular vote. From a legal point of view, the question arises which role this shift in politics plays in the Federal Supreme Court’s interpretation of the fundamental right to freedom of religion granted by the Swiss Constitution in cases regarding Muslims. By means of a case study in the field of public education, this paper examines how the political environment influences the relevant case law. It arrives at the conclusion that although the Court was at first following the political trend of restricting Muslims’ fundamental rights, it has taken a stronger stand against such tendencies in recent decisions.
Keywords:
religious freedom, Islam, public education, judiciary, Switzerland, school, freedom of conscience and religion, Law on Religion, burqa, niqabReferences
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Master of Law (University of Basel); PhD Student in Law at the University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 74, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
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