Copenhagen: Culinary school requires Muslims to taste pork

Copenhagen: Culinary school requires Muslims to taste pork

(the school has a special program for immigrants, most of whom are Turks)


Via TV2 (Danish, h/t Muslimska Friskolan):

The Copenhagen Hospitality College is requiring a young Muslim to taste pork if he wants to graduate. Orthodox Jews, Muslims and teetotalers can't study at the school, since they're required to taste pork and wine.

Ikram Korkmaz is Muslim and refuses to do so. He will not eat pork, but has on problems preparing it. Ikram Korkmaz and his wife, Britt Maria Christensen, the school told him he can't go there. Korkmaz has been at the school since January, learning to be a nutrition assistant.

Britt Maria Christensen says the school has told them he won't get an internship if he isn't willing to taste pork. According to the school's website, Muslims can taste pork, but must spit it out without swallowing. [the page seems to have been removed]

The Danish Board of Equal Treatment is currently checking if this is a fair practice.

There's across the board agreement in Parliament that Muslims can't be forced to taste pork.

Johanne Schmidt­Nielsen (Red-Green Alliance) says that he expects the Education Minister to intervene immediately, and that he expects that people who have allergies are not told they can't be cooks. Peter Skaarup (Danish People's Party) says it looks odd that you don't taste the food you serve, but you can't demand that people eat or taste anything specific.