The Swiss, The Skyline, and Minarets

This morning on BBC World News it was reported that in Switzerland, a ban has been passed that would disallow the building of minarets. The ban has fueled debate on how countries in Europe should best deal with Muslim presence in their countries. The group that backed the ban, the Swiss People's Party, argues that allowing minarets and other symbols of Muslim religion are tantamount to accepting Sharia law alongside Swiss government law, which is unacceptable. Opponents of the ban include the Swiss government, who say it is another form of discrimination and will only increase the sense of unease that Muslims already feel in Western Europe.Link to article:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8384835.stm

As an American, this ban looks like a form of discrimination and bigotry. As a student trained in public policy, it seems like a subversive attack that will have long-term, negative impact on relations between the Muslim and Christian worlds, particularly vehement because it is an attack on a symbol of faith as well as a way of life; and because it seems to condone alienation by the general population of a particular group of people by labeling them as non-intergatable with mainstream culture. Whether or not the Swiss are among the most conservative of the Europeans, shouldn't their democratic ideals be compatible with free expression of ALL religions, Christian and Muslim alike?

Without addressing what seems to the real heart of the problem--growing fear and unease of Muslim presence in Western Europe-- the SVP has shut down another opportunity to confront these fears. Link to article #2 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8385389.stm