American Buddhist Net

STOCKHOLM — Sweden's unemployment agency has been found guilty of discrimination for expelling a Muslim man from a job training program because he refused to shake hands with a woman.

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At first glance this decision may seem very odd, even self-contradictory. How can one party be judged guilty of discrimination for not allowing another party to discriminate? I can sympathize with seeing it that way, but there is another way to look at the matter, and this concerns religious freedom, and more particularly the freedom to practice and express your religion in public. I believe restrooms in Sweden are still (at least mostly) separated according to gender. If the state can make this distinction based on what we all know are very common sensibilities, why cannot a religion, and why cannot an adherent to that religion be free to act upon his beliefs? Is there really much harm in him doing that? Is not his freedom to express his religious beliefs more important than forcing upon him the appearance of some politically determined rule of propriety? In this context, recall that Theravada monks are also not supposed to have any physical contact with women, including touching their hands. They have taken a vow of celibacy and their behavior is restricted. Religious freedom, and the freedom to express your beliefs in public, is an extremely important right, a fundamental right, because without religious freedom everything becomes politics. ABN