The Oslo teacher who did not have his contract extended because he refused to shake hands with women, was not discriminated against according to the Discrimination Board.
The committee’s decision was announced on Monday.
“If conservative practices within a religious context were to be given crucial importance, this would be unfortunate for desired social development. The reason why gender equality is the abolute ideal in Norway is because religious conservatism has had to give way in conflicts, says the chairman Ivar Danielsen.
The committee first concluded that the teacher was discriminated against because of his religion.
Later, the committee divided as a majority and a minority quorum with regard to the question of different treatment being discriminatory. The majority believe that their finding was both objective, necessary and proportionate, and therefore concluded that there was no discrimination in the sense of the law.
The minority believed that the inequality of treatment was neither factual nor necessary nor proportionate and concluded that the school had discriminated.
© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today
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