According to the local officials, the bid was blocked due to the couple’s “lack of respect for gender equality.” In a similar episode two years ago, two Syrian brothers who refused to shake hands with female teachers sparked a national outrage in Switzerland.

The authorities of Lausanne, a city in southwest Switzerland, have denied a Muslim couple’s citizenship bid over their refusal to shake hands with people of the opposite sex.

A three-member commission blocked the application, citing their “lack of respect for gender equality,” Lausanne mayor Gregoire Junod said, as quoted by AFP. The two have also struggled with answering questions asked by members of the opposite gender.

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