Swiss court upholds refusal of permit for Islamic kindergarten
ZURICH- Switzerland's highest court has upheld the canton of Zurich's decision to refuse permission for an Islamic society to open a religious kindergarten, saying its plans did not fulfil the legal requirements for such schools.
The Federal Court's ruling highlights increasingly tense relations between traditionally Christian Swiss society and a Muslim minority that makes up around 5 percent of the population.
The lower house of parliament in September narrowly backed a ban on face veils, a step widely supported in opinion polls.
A school's decision this year to let two Muslim pupils not shake their teachers' hands added fresh fuel to a debate about integration of immigrants.
