Muslim women lose alleged swimming pool discrimination case : Melbourne Indymedia

The Gothenburg court ruled the municipal pool had NOT treated the masked Muslim women different from other pool-visitors. The Judges (in Scandinavia ALL courts are organised like Australian High Courts) ordered the Ombudsman against Ethnic Discrimination, which had initiated and financed the case on the Islamists women’s behalf, to pay the City of Gothenburg's nominal costs of 30,850 kronor ($4,375 US dollars, 3,330 euros).

The women, Houda Morabet and Hayal Eroglu, were at the pool separately on two different occasions in April 2004, accompanying their young children but not to swim themselves only to look around into the various sport-complex areas..

Both were wearing veils, long pants and full body covering because they are convinced that their version of radical Mohammedanism does not allow them to reveal any skin-parts or hair-tufts to other then their female friends, small children, male father, male husband and in absence of these minders, it will be their own oldest male son. All other exposure is strictly forbidden or “haram” according to their cult.

The ombudsman argued in court that the lifeguards' insistence that they change into tee-shirts was an act of racist discrimination. The lifeguards testified that although there was nothing in the security regulations about veils, the rules did require people in the pool area to wear shorts and tee-shirts, even if they don't plan to swim in case they must enter the pool in a sudden emergency.

The Mohammedan mothers' bulky cumbersome clothing would have prevented them from coming to the rescue of their children if necessary, they argued. Signs were posted in the pool area to that effect, they said.

"I've been to other pools in Gothenburg dressed like that and haven't had any problems," Morabet told Swedish news agency TT through an interpreter.

Sweden's lady ombudsman against ethnic discrimination, Katri Linna, told the agency she was very surprised and chocked by the courts ruling and would appeal. She had been certain that the claimed compensation of 100,000.00 kronor (about $14,000.00 US dollars, 11,000.00 euros).to each Muslim family was reasonable recompense for their severe suffering and should have been awarded by the Gothenburg court. She was keen to stress that her office views the case as being quite significant for the Swedish reputation and equality policy in that it deals with a very concrete everyday situation.

Both women arrived at the court shortly after the verdict was announced. Houda Morabet explained that she took great offence when asked to leave the swimming pool by the half-naked infidel Swedish lifeguards. She was unable to answer if she herself was able to swim 50 meters. However, thorough her communal interpreter she made this announcement: "Now it is even worse. Most of all I am disappointed by how the (secular man-made / non-Sharia) justice system has worked," she said.