Sweden: Court awards damages to Muslim women denied entry to pool

The Court of Appeal in Western Sweden, overruling an earlier lower court decision, ordered a Goteborg swimming pool to pay two Muslim women more than $3,110 each in damages and legal costs Tuesday for discriminating against them. 

The women - dressed in headscarves, sweatpants and long-sleeved T-shirts - accompanied their children to the public pool in April 2004 but were asked to leave after refusing to change their clothes. Lifeguards told the women their clothing did not comply with the pool's safety and hygiene regulations. The court said the women had ''been discriminated (against) in a way that is linked to their religion,'' which prevented them from being able to comply with the demands. (AP)