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Swiss to vote on minaret referendum
The right-wing Swiss People's Party said in Zurich, Switzerland, minarets are a symbol of Islamic religious intolerance. Voters will decide Nov. 29 on whether to ban them, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
Fifty-three percent of voters are against the ban and 34 percent are for it, a national poll by the state-owned media organization SRG indicated.
Muslim leaders who have kept a low-profile about the controversy, however, are worried.
"This initiative gives a message that Muslims are not welcome here. If it passes, it raises the possibility of radicalization of some young people. It would be a big disappointment." Elham Manea, a political science lecturer at the University of Zurich, said.
A defeat of the referendum won't dissipate the tension, Hisham Maizer, head of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Switzerland, said.
"The debate about Islam in Switzerland has just begun," Maizer said.
The Swiss government is opposed to the referendum.
"(A vote in favor of the referendum) could make Switzerland a target for Islamic terrorism," Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International
This news arrived on: 11/06/2009
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Posted Comments:
11-10-2009 13:23
Leslee in Canada wrote:
And the next thing to be banned will be Christian crosses atop spires. What restriction is imposed on one religion will morph into a backlash against ALL religious architecture.
Neither the minaret nor the Cross are 'required' in the architecture of either Islam or Christianity. They both represent the ability to worship within the structure. My own Church doesn't have a Cross on the outside, but has several in the inside rooms. The Church I work at has a hand-rung bell which calls the faithful to the service. Complaints have been heard, but we basically live in harmony with our neighbours.
My boyfriend says these kind of complaints show that the end is near. (actually he says it a lot-but that is another issue) Would God view us favourably if we take up this fight? It is clear that there will be no peace on earth. Ever. I just don't want God to think that I thought myself to be better with my Cross on a spire than a Muslim with a minaret.
Neither the minaret nor the Cross are 'required' in the architecture of either Islam or Christianity. They both represent the ability to worship within the structure. My own Church doesn't have a Cross on the outside, but has several in the inside rooms. The Church I work at has a hand-rung bell which calls the faithful to the service. Complaints have been heard, but we basically live in harmony with our neighbours.
My boyfriend says these kind of complaints show that the end is near. (actually he says it a lot-but that is another issue) Would God view us favourably if we take up this fight? It is clear that there will be no peace on earth. Ever. I just don't want God to think that I thought myself to be better with my Cross on a spire than a Muslim with a minaret.
11-06-2009 15:32
wrote:
Yeah,,,Lets just stick our heads in the sand and let them have their way!!!!!!!!!!!
11-06-2009 15:28
Helios wrote:
Intolerance
All symbolisms of intolerance should be banned. This means swastikas, KKK insignia and all 0% tolerance religions, ie Islam.
11-06-2009 13:55
Verhoeven wrote:
This tells it all. Spreading a Hearsay Religion by fear. A lesson learned from the Muslims by the history of Christianity and before that Judaism and before That Egyptian Pharisaic. All Hearsay Revealed! Time for Deism using Reason and Science
("The debate about Islam in Switzerland has just begun,") Maizer said.
The Swiss government is opposed to the referendum.
("(A vote in favor of the referendum) could make Switzerland a target for Islamic terrorism,") Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said.
("The debate about Islam in Switzerland has just begun,") Maizer said.
The Swiss government is opposed to the referendum.
("(A vote in favor of the referendum) could make Switzerland a target for Islamic terrorism,") Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said.
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