This past weekend, the Swiss passed a referendum to alter their constitution to include a provision banning the construction of minarets.
For the non-lawyers amongst you, you should know that constitutional law in Switzerland is hierarchically superior to federal legislation. And for the non-Muslims amongst you, a minaret is just a really tall pole-shaped structure which is attached to a Mosque. In Islamic countries, it's basically used to call for prayer. In non-Islamic countries, it's basically useless. It's not anything that is necessarily linked to the tenants of Islam, it just forms part of traditional Islamic architecture.
This referendum was initiated by the ultra-conservative Swiss Nationalist Peoples Party which is most known for depicting foreigners as black sheep being kicked out of Switzerland by white sheep (supposedly, the ethically accountable Swiss). I've put up a picture of their latest extravaganza which was actually banned in several cantons (i.e states/provinces etc.) in the running up to the referendum. I would explain it, except apparently a picture is worth a thousand words.
In the aftermath of this little incident, I monitored the papers a little more closely, I actually watched Swiss news stations and I followed my Swiss friends on facebook. Here's what I learned: the politicians are scared, the Swiss news stations seem only to be able to find people who support the vote and reluctantly air their interviews and all my Swiss friends have expressed emotions which ranged between 'ashamed' and 'disgusted'. Strange, right?
So it's my turn! As a Muslim living in Switzerland without any voting rights, to be honest, I don't really care if we can build a minaret or not. The actual physical presence of a minaret doesn't change my faith, it's strength or my ability to practice it freely. After years of living abroad in cultures which don't necessarily understand, or even accept my religion, I've found a good way to maintain personal integrity: I don't care about your religion if you don't care about mine. In fact 99% of the people I interact with on a regular basis don't even know what my religion is. Doesn't matter. Your faith is your own.
Which brings me to two points: if 99% of the people I interact with don't know what my religion is, how can it be so imposing that you have to pass a constitutional ban on an essentially useless architectural element? The Swiss aren't stupid, which means there is another reason. Wait for it....Not banning the minarets (which doesn't give automatic authorization for them to be built, it just means in principle they can) would mean a proliferation of Islam which is not in tandem with the principles of Swiss democracy.
The Swiss democracy which just voted to ban the construction of minarets, knowing that Islam is the 2nd largest religion in the country after Christianity.
Right on.
Back to being a Muslim living in Switzerland. This year and last year and the year before I went to classes, took exams, went to work, just like everyone else during Ramadan. Not one person knew that I was fasting until 8:30 pm everyday. I reported to work on time, studied for my exams, took notes in my classes and went to the movies with my friends. Not one person wished me a Happy Eid. Nor did I object when a four hour corporate law class was scheduled on the first day of Eid. Nor did anyone object the fact that there is only one Mosque in Geneva. The Saudi Embassy just dedicated a few of it's conference rooms for prayer because there was no more room at the mosque.
Muslims don't logically expect Switzerland to accommodate our religious beliefs. But we just want to be respected. As someone who doesn't put weight on the existence of Islamic architecture to legitimize my religion, I still feel extremely disrespected.
On an economic front, my dad, whose job is to liaison between the Swiss and the Arab world in terms of trade and commerce told me today that the Swiss government sent all of their ambassadors in Arab countries to speak to the respective governments to try to explain that this isn't the result of Islamophobia. The Swiss also issued a formal memo to my dad asking him to mediate so that Swiss-Arab commerce is not affected. There is fear that the Swiss Private Banking Sector may also take a hit if all the wealthy Arabs decide to withdraw their money in protest. Also, Swiss tourism over the summer is expected to decline. As one newspaper aptly puts it 'the Swiss will feel the repercussions of this vote. They have to be prepared'.
In terms of law, because I know some of you are waiting for this mea culpa, the case is being taken to the European Court of Human Rights (an EU court). Good times all around. This affects Switzerland in more ways than one. First, Switzerland is not part of the EU, but it has ratified certain agreements. Part of the reason Switzerland isn't part of the EU is that the good yodeling people of this nation are afraid of being too regulated by EU laws. Now, if the case is going to the ECHR, politically how can the case be judged? If the ECHR says revoke the results of the referendum, it's basically saying, yes yodeling people, we can and will regulate your lives to the extent where we can interfere with your constitution. If the ECHR says no, the referendum stays, it's basically saying yes Arabs, the EU is Islamophobic.
And that ladies and gentlemen is how Islamophobic yodelers can create an unnecessary crisis.
B
