Reykjavík city hall has put on hold voting on a proposal that would forbid church officials from visiting schools.
The proposal was made in response to parent complaints about perceived religious indoctrination in playschool and grade school, with many kids being sent home with religious literature. This prompted the Human Rights Committee to draft a proposal that would forbid church officials from conducting missionary work in schools.
The proposal was met with a harsh reaction from church officials, many of them falsely contending that Christmas would be banned from schools. Bishop of Iceland Karl Sigurbjörnsson accused the Human Rights Committee of inciting prejudice towards the National Church in particular and Christianity in general.
The proposal has now been put on hold for the time being. The conservatives have threatened to vote against the proposal if the wording is not changed, although they admitted that they have only received 24 complaints from parents about this proposal itself.
Human Rights Committee chairperson Margrét Sverrisdóttir told Vísir that they intend to change the wording in such a way that there will be no misunderstandings with regards to the intent of the proposal.