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An exemption to a long-standing tradition in Switzerland has prompted education authorities to hand down a controversial ruling for Muslim students.

Swiss authorities have ruled that Muslim students must shake the hands of teachers at the start and end of lessons, or their parents could face fines of up to $7,000.

Handshakes between students and teachers are a deeply entrenched tradition in Switzerland, signifying respect. But last month a school in the town of Therwil agreed to allow two teenage Muslim boys an exemption.

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Source: SBS

Greens senator Robert Simms wants to remove religious exemptions from the Sex Discrimination Act. He says the provisions in the law allow for religious organisations to discriminate against staff or clients who are from sexual minorities.

His opponents say these are protections for religious groups to act in accordance with their conscience, something that’s recognized in the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

To debate the question, we talked to Senator Simms and Terry Tobin, a leading Queens Counsel and former chancellor of Notre Dame University. Why does Robert Simms want to change the law?

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Source: ABC

We are at a critical point in human history; global warming is seriously beginning to bite. At the same time, we are witnessing market shifts towards low carbon technologies and an explosion of civil society activity aimed at saving the climate.

In increasingly large numbers, people of faith are joining the effort and are calling on our political representatives to change the direction our country is headed. The unseasonably warm weather is a regular topic of conversation, for good reason.

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Source: ABC

Buddhists around the world have celebrated Vesak, one of the most important days in the Buddhist calendar.

Informally known as Buddha's birthday, it commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama.

Buddhist scriptures state that each of these significant events occurred on the full moon of the Indian lunar month of Vesakha.

Buddhists celebrate Vesak every year on the day of the full moon in May.

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Source: International Business Times

The Anglican Church has offered Geelong's Muslim community a temporary place of worship after its mosque was destroyed by fire.

Melbourne Bishop Philip Huggins said he told Imam Mohammad Ramzan he could use the hall of All Saints church in Newtown for Friday prayers, if needed.

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Source:  The Courier

Judaism was featured in the "Talking Faith?" Forum organised by City of Greater Dandenong Interfaith Network and Dandenong Library in their annual panel discussion to shine the light on major religions in order to promote dialogue, respect and understanding.

Five panellists representing different streams and viewpoints were invited to answer questions that citizens of Dandenong, Victoria's most culturally and religiously diverse municipality wanted to know about Jews and their faith, beliefs and practises.

Religious intolerance or racism? A new study out of Melbourne suggests religious intolerance, not racism, is the main source of negative feelings towards asylum seekers in Australia. The study was called Islamophobia and other anxieties.

Conducted by the University of Melbourne, it examined 10 focus groups across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

And the result suggests religious intolerance, not racism, is the main driver of negative attitudes in the country towards asylum seekers.

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Source: ABC

The Parliament of the World’s Religions is committed to cultivating harmony among religious and spiritual communities across the globe. That, in turn, demands that we stand and speak against actions that contribute to the conflict, disrespect, and oppression of faith communities throughout the world.

As we observe the 8th anniversary of the unjust imprisonment of seven Baha’i leaders and the oppression inflicted on other members of the Baha’i community in Iran, the following statement expresses our dismay that these conditions continue to exist and conveys our encouragement for actions that will bring an end to this kind of abuse in Iran and anywhere it occurs across the globe.

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Source: Parliament of the World's Religions