Swiss education officials have sparked a furor by allowing two male Muslim schoolkids to skip the daily tradition of shaking hands with their teacher because the instructor is female.

The Washington Post reports that the students — ages 14 and 15 — had asked for the handshake exemption, saying the pressing of flesh violated Islamic principles.

To keep the request from having sexist overtones, officials decided both pupils could skip shaking hands with both male and female instructors.

But Swiss Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga was outraged by the decision of the school in the town of Therwil, near Basel, telling SRF television, "We cannot accept this in the name of religious freedom. The handshake is part of our culture."

The Swiss Muslim community believes the boys are misinterpreting Islamic teachings with their refusal to shake hands.

Local authorities have the ability to overturn the school's decision, but no ruling has been made as yet.

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