Moslem students: handshake, eye contact compulsory
'' | 13.09.2004 13:25
The Vrije Universiteit (Free University) in Amsterdam, a large university with an orthodox-protestant background, is introducing new rules for Moslem students. The three main points are:
1. veils are forbidden
2. Moslem students must shake hands with university staff when they talk to them
3. Moslem students must look directly into the eyes of the university staff when talking with them.
It’s not a joke: the University press office confirmed the story, but the rules are still in draft form. Some staff have protested that they are discriminatory.
There have been several incidents with veiled women students in the last few years, at Dutch universities and polytechnics, and some secondary schools. In one case police arrested a student for wearing a chador. The standard argument used to justify bans on veils is that they ‘obstruct communication’, that’s why eye contact is being made compulsory.
1. veils are forbidden
2. Moslem students must shake hands with university staff when they talk to them
3. Moslem students must look directly into the eyes of the university staff when talking with them.
It’s not a joke: the University press office confirmed the story, but the rules are still in draft form. Some staff have protested that they are discriminatory.
There have been several incidents with veiled women students in the last few years, at Dutch universities and polytechnics, and some secondary schools. In one case police arrested a student for wearing a chador. The standard argument used to justify bans on veils is that they ‘obstruct communication’, that’s why eye contact is being made compulsory.
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