Swiss Voters Back Ban on Minarets

In a National Referendum on the 29^th November 2009, Swiss voters supported a proposal to ban the building of minarets, more than 57% of voters and 22 out of 26 provinces voted in favour of the ban.

The proposal had been put forward by the Swiss People's Party, (SVP); the largest party in parliament, which says minarets are a sign of Islamisation and that "This was a vote against minarets as symbols of Islamic power."

Following the ban, Huzur Aqdas has instructed that an effort ought to continue by Ahmadis to write to relevant parties expressing their sadness at this result; the fact that those behind the referendum were clearly targeting Islam in an effort to disturb the Muslim populations; and also to express a hope that this result does not lead to further referendums (e.g. on Hijab) which would further curtail the rights of Muslims to practice their faith peacefully and without discrimination.

Supporters of a ban argued minarets are a symbol of an Islamic claim to power.

"The Islamic religion is intolerant, but we do not want to limit freedom of religion, we want to outlaw the political symbol," said Ulrich Schlüer, a member of the rightwing Swiss People's party and one of the leading promoters of the anti-minaret initiative.

Supporters tapped into public concern about the growing Muslim community in Switzerland, radical imams, the role of women, as well as head scarves and other dress codes.

The rightwing Swiss People's Party is planning further steps against the spread of Islam in Switzerland following voters' approval of a ban on new minarets.

The party will reinforce its calls in parliament for further measures to contain the creeping Islamisation of Swiss society.  On their agenda are arranged marriages, special dispensation from swimming lessons, the burka and special Muslim cemeteries.  Their Party Leader - Toni Brunner, believes that Muslims who settled in Switzerland have to realise that they could not turn up to work in a head scarf.

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Many in favour of the ban ask how easy it is to build a Church in Saudi Arabia.  Firstly, two wrongs don’t make a right, secondly doesn’t the West have superior levels of human rights, equality and tolerance?

If the west is to continue to uphold these values and laws, it will need to stop pandering to the extremist right wing agenda of promoting discrimination and Islamophobia.

While there are undemocratic dictatorships in some 'Muslim' countries, their human rights abuses cannot be attributed to the religion of Islam.  Muslim Andalusia was one of the most tolerant and progressive societies known in History where Jews, Christians and Muslims lived side-by-side in peace.  Indonesia is a democratic country which happens to be the worlds’ most populous Muslim country.

For most legal experts, the case is clear: The minaret ban runs contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights. It contravenes both the clause in the convention on the prohibition of discrimination and the guarantee of religious freedom.

Article 9 ECHR is as follows:

“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance. “

Article 14 ECHR provides that

“The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Convention shall be secured without discrimination on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth or other status.”

Members' letters should focus on the fact that the Minaret is a peaceful religious symbol, in much the way that spires are on churches and that this legislation is a direct discrimination against Islam. 

To say that the minaret is a ‘political edifice that represents intolerance and a desire for power’ is absolutely wrong.

The main function of the minaret is to provide a vantage point from which the faithful are called to prayer.  The call to prayer from a Minaret can be likened to the ringing of bells from a church tower – both signifying a place and time where religious worship is about to take place.  In many European countries the call to prayer is not made from the Minaret out of respect to the local community, but the minaret is still a key architectural feature to signify the building as a Mosque.

The Swiss People’s Party is yet another Right Wing faction trying to spread fear amongst mostly progressive and open minded European people of the “Islamification” of Europe and trying to create the illusion that most Muslims share the values and twisted ideology of minority extremist and terrorist militants.   This is as illogical as it is to suggest that all British people sharing the values of the British National Party and all American citizens share the same values as the Klu Klux Klan.

Muslims believe that Islam means Peace and instructs them (both in the Quran and the sayings of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) to live by the laws of the country they live in.  The West provides a safe haven for many Muslims who are free to practice their faith, live their personal lives according to Islamic teachings, build and worship in Mosques.  Therefore they do not need or want to establish a 'legal and social order' and impose this on the very civilisation that has provided them with all these freedoms.

Who to Write to?

1) Your local MEP (Member of European Parliament)

http://www.writetothem.com/

2) The editor of your local, regional & national newspapers to raise more awareness of the arguments against the ban

3) Swiss Info – monitor latest news and add comments/debate with readers

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Specials/Minaret_Debate/News/Minaret_debate.html?cid=6549978

4) Write to Human Rights Organisations requesting updates on what is being done to ensure that this ban is legally challenged using Human Rights Legislation such as the European Convention on Human Rights.

·         Amnesty International: http://www.amnesty.org/en/contact

·         Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: InfoDesk@ohchr.org

·         European Court of Human Rights, Council of Europe, 67075 Strasbourg-Cedex, France

·         European Commisioner of Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg: commissioner@coe.int

Examples of Member Letters

Comments published on ‘Swiss Info’ during the campaign:

1. “The ban on minarets is not the way to make Muslims want to become culturally integrated with the Swiss host community. It will only increase their distrust and will alienate them even further. The Swiss government should allow minarets of a reasonable height to be built, and should loudly petition governments of Islamic countries to allow churches and all other religious structures to be built on their soil. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) signed a document for Christians of all lands and of all times to come that he and his followers would not harm any churches, cloisters or monasteries, and would even protect them from attack and help to repair them whenever needed. He also invited Christians to pray in his mosque.”

2. “If the Swiss people had only shown that they were more civilised and advanced in their tolerance of minarets, it would have shamed the entire Islamic world into rethinking their backward, intolerant stance vis-a-vis non-Islamic or minority faiths in their countries. It is really ironic, when one knows that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be with him) had written: “This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who are Christian, near and far: we are with them. Verily I, my servants, my helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them. No compulsion is to be on them… No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would breach God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate…The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are not to be prevented from repairing them… No one of the Muslim nation is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day.”

Now, the Swiss decision will only harden intolerance in a Muslim world that has largely forgotten the great teachings of the Holy Prophet.”

3. “The overwhelming majority of Muslims living in Switzerland, as in the rest of Europe, would just like to be able to live their lives peacefully as good citizens. Having a mosque is a positive thing; like a church, it is a place where people are reminded constantly of their duty to do good and to help their neighbours and the wider society. Removing mosques from the equation will leave the young generation of Muslims without this important framework for moral teaching. In the UK, we can now see the results of two generations having abandoned their church attendance: selfishness, immorality and crime have increased exponentially.

A minaret on a mosque is NOT a symbol of any "Islamic claim for power". Seeing a minaret should reassure Swiss nationals that it is the symbol of a place to which people are called to honour and worship the Lord God, the Creator of the universe, and reminded to do good to their fellow beings. If there is a tiny minority of religious bigots who use a mosque as a political platform to air their obnoxious views, they should be monitored and dealt with appropriately by the Swiss government, and the Muslim community would be more than willing to co-operate with the authorities as they are doing here in the UK.

We of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community have well integrated into Western society. Our mosques are the oldest in most European countries. We hold dozens of events throughout the year to improve inter-faith relations and raise money for many charitable organisations. Our programmes and functions are always attended by all political parties, mayors and leaders of different religions. Our minarets are the symbol of peace and harmony. Banning minarets will NOT bring an end to the small number of Muslim fanatics. On the other hand, allowing minarets will increase the confidence and resolve of the peace-loving majority of Muslims to become actively engaged and integrated members of Swiss society.”

Articles published in Yorkshire Post and Huddersfield Examiner:

4. “President Obama recently said: “It is important for western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practising religion as they see fit, for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear. We can’t disguise hostility towards any religion behind the pretence of liberalism.”

It appears that this is exactly what certain right wing elements in the West are doing – hiding behind the veil of liberalism to disguise the hostility towards Islam.

Minarets in western Europe are normally not used for the call to prayer. The call is usually made from inside the mosque and without loudspeakers out of respect for the neighbours.

Unfortunately, this is due to ignorance and a lack of understanding of the true teachings of Islam which is not helped by so-called Muslim countries acting contrary to the teachings of Islam.

People have nothing to fear from Islam – it is a religion of complete peace and can co-exist in harmony within a secular state but, unfortunately, is the most misunderstood religion today.

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) of Islam ordered his followers to protect, repair and respect the religious buildings of other faiths.”

It’s such a shame that few Muslim countries of today honour the Prophet’s teachings.”

5. “Minarets are not symbols of intolerance

I WRITE in relation to the recent debate on banning the construction of minarets in Switzerland. On Sunday, the Swiss will vote on a referendum to ban the construction of minarets, initiated by the Right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), who argue that a minaret is a symbol of Islamic intolerance.

The SVP, the country's largest political group and a fierce critic of immigration, drew international criticism for a campaign poster two years ago showing a white sheep kicking a black sheep out of Switzerland.

The minaret is a peaceful religious symbol as spires are on churches. If this legislation is passed, it would directly discriminate against Islam.

As with all societies, there is an illiterate or largely uneducated portion who can be led astray by Right-wing views in times of tension and hardship.

The key to resolving this on all sides is to increase our tolerance and understanding of each other, strengthen our multi-faith and multi-cultural ties and work towards greater peace and harmony. Both sides have to avoid pandering to the fear-mongering efforts of the Right-wing to further destabilise the situation.

Muslims believe that Islam means peace and instructs them to live and abide by the laws of the country they live in. The West provides a safe haven for many Muslims who are free to practise their faith, live their personal lives according to Islamic teachings, build and worship in mosques. Therefore, they do not need or want to establish a "legal and social order" and impose this on the very civilisation that has provided them with all these freedoms.

Some argue that this gives rise to Islamisation and are threatened, but the truth is that if you have confidence in your culture, tradition and religion, you are not threatened by anything else.

Perhaps this debate says more about the decline of Swiss culture than the rise of Muslim culture in Switzerland. There is nothing to fear from Islam, which is completely synonymous and exists in harmony within a secular society. The key is tolerance and engagement which will enable us to have a better understanding of each other to remove any misconceptions, stereotypes and prejudices.”