Shake Hands? From Classroom to Headlines to Parliament. New Dynamics in Public Policy on Religion in Switzerland

In April 2016 the «hand-shake-affair» made headlines in Swiss and even international media. Two Muslim brothers living in the Swiss town Therwil refused to shake hands with their female teachers in September 2015. They argued that Islam demands them to refrain from touching women. The school management dealt with the situation by granting the teenagers an exception from unwritten rules. In early April the case became public by chance: A statement from the audience made in a TV debate show on the topic «Fear of Islam?» highlighted the hand shake question. A media hype started almost immediately. The issue also took hold in the political arena. It led to a series of statements of politicians and to motions in the cantonal parliament calling for a codification of the precedence of civil over religious duties. Meanwhile, a bill has been introduced by the cantonal government. The case and the intense reactions it caused raise serious questions: How does a conflict between teenagers and teachers in a school provoke such a public and political debate? Why does the local conflict yield legislative activities and likely policy outputs? Finally, what can political science learn about dynamics between media and state religious policy in general? The paper addresses these questions by using the method of process tracing in a political systems perspective. By closely analysing the case with a focus on actors and interests, the paper tries to explain the dynamics of public policy on religion in the federal political system of Switzerland.