Outcry as Muslim students are exempted from Swiss tradition of shaking female teachers' hands at school after 'refusing to adopt their way of life'

A school in the northern municipality of Therwil, in the canton of Basel, reached the controversial decision after two male students, aged 14 and 15, complained that the Swiss custom of shaking hands with the teacher is counter to their religious beliefs if the teacher is a woman.The decision triggered an outcry across Switzerland with Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga insisting on Swiss public television Monday that “shaking hands is part of our culture.”