Excerpt:
A German court has refused to allow a Muslim student to skip co-ed swimming lessons based on her religious beliefs.
The case is an example of the growing number of conflicts between German school officials and Muslim parents who want to keep their children from participating in sports activities, biology classes and field trips out of religious reasons.
The 12-year-old girl, originally from Morocco, but now attending a school in the German city of Frankfurt, had refused to take part in swimming lessons because she said she was uncomfortable being close to bare-chested boys.