On the surface it might seem that Switzerland's law-binding vote to ban new minarets in mosques is petty, vindictive and unnecessary. And in a sense it is, but in another way it is understandable. It's pretty hard to depict Switzerland as a red-necked, xenophobic society. It is one of the few countries in the world that demands no passport for visitors entering, and it's famous for being a meeting place of cultures.
It is a functioning society that manages to exist without wars, nasty linguistic or ethnic feuds. It is a society that flourishes peacefully in times of war in other countries. It is a country where every male is expected to own a gun and knows how to use it. A country where gun crimes are rare.
All the Swiss seem to demand from people is they behave decently, obey the law, adapt to the Swiss way of life. It is not a country spoiling for trouble, which is why the vote to ban new minarets is more significant than, say, if it occurred in a country beset with Islamic militancy -- a condition that has been growing in Europe.
The Swiss, basically, want to keep their country Swiss.
They don't want Sharia law, even a modified version as dingbat democracies like the McGuinty government in Ontario once favoured in the name of cultural equivalency -- until saner heads prevailed. (As an aside, many of these "saner heads" were Muslim women who've escaped the tyranny of Sharia in their birth countries, and Muslim men who see its oppressiveness). Switzerland is not a country like any other. The cantons that comprise the whole are more important and influential than the central government. It is a country of four regions with four languages -- German, French, Italian and Romansh, with English the language of air controllers.
The world comes together in Switzerland in the form of international organizations and banks, and it values its neutrality (since 1815) and guards its continuing democracy. Prior to the minaret vote, polls indicated 53% of the people opposed banning minarets, which on voting day turned into 57% in favour of the ban. Even the Swiss tell pollsters what they think pollsters want to hear.
Swiss are uneasy about their culture and don't want their landscape dotted with minarets from which the Islamic faithful are called to prayer. Odd, because of Switzerland's 150 mosques, only four have minarets. Non-Muslims -- which is 94% of the 7.5 million population -- are not keen on being roused by sing-song calls for the faithful to pray, should minarets sprout on all mosques. Now there's some fear of a Muslim backlash in Switzerland. Blame for all this is not Swiss prejudice, but Islamic militancy in countries like the Netherlands, Denmark, France, and world-wide awareness that while most Muslims are not terrorists, most terrorists are Muslim.
SILENT TOO LONG
In their way, the vast majority of moderate Muslims are victims of jihadism and Islamic extremism that has poisoned relations. Yet the moderate majority has been too silent for too long. Canada has been fortunate in escaping extremism, as has Switzerland, but there is growing unease about the future here, as there is in Europe's most neutral and tolerant country. One hopes Muslims, who are not monolithic in their attitudes, speak up and take a lead in opposing extremism which threatens the future.
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