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Old 12-04-2009, 07:57 AM   #1 (permalink)
little_tippler
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Minaret Ban in Switzerland - why did it happen and what does it stir up?

I was under the impression that the topic of the Swiss Minaret Ban had already been discussed here but I couldn't find the thread - it appears there isn't one? Let me know if I'm wrong.

So last Sunday the Swiss voted on a referendum on whether to add something to their constitution or not. Basically it would be an amendment to Article 72 of their constitution that reads something like "The construction of minarets is forbidden".

I only heard about it on Monday once the votes had been cast and to most everyone's surprise this ban on the construction of minarets in Switzerland passed, by a staggering margin.

There are several arguments for and against the ban but even before I had heard any I knew that this was seriously screwed up.

Here is an article that contains some information on why this referendum came about:

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Harvard Law Record
Switzerland's minaret ban about more than xenophobia   click to show 


Link to article
I have read a few other articles on the topic and though I can see that there are a few valid reasons on why the Swiss might have approved this, it is interesting how such a high percentage of the population and number of counties voted for the minaret ban.

I think this is an interesting if delicate topic, that is not as clear cut as it may appear.

The claim by many of the proponents of the ban is that minarets are of 'no religious significance'. Which seems odd because clearly they are. Even so, with this ban mosques can still be built, just not with minarets. They also claim that minarets are 'symbols of a religious-political claim to power and dominance which threatens – in the name of alleged freedom of religion – the constitutional rights of others'. Which is exaggerated to me, but I can see what their fears are through this statement.

One thing that stands out to me, in many of these articles, is when they point out, well how about if this was inverted? How about the freedom of other religions in Muslim countries? I don't purport to know that much about it, so if anyone would like to tell me more about this I'm interested.

I think this could make for a good discussion so I decided a thread was in order. I will try to bring more to the table further on in the discussion, no need to say everything in the OP.

By the way, since this obviously a sensitive issue, please keep the discussion civil and on-topic.
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We are ever unapparent. What we are
Cannot be transfused into word or book.
Our soul from us is infinitely far.
However much we give our thoughts the will
To be our soul and gesture it abroad,
Our hearts are incommunicable still.
In what we show ourselves we are ignored.
The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.


Fernando Pessoa, 1918
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