I’ve been asked to offer my opinion on the result of yesterday’s referendum on minarets in Switzerland, perhaps inevitably. I had expected such a law to be passed, contrary to the opinion polls which suggested that it wouldn’t, because a country where a major party can use such openly racist imagery as the “black sheep” and the “brown hands on the passport” posters is obviously one which is prone to bigotry. The result is disappointing and worrying, not necessarily because of the effects of the new law in itself, but what it demonstrates could happen. (More: Ginny, Sabiwabi, Aaminah Hernández, Tariq Ramadan in the Guardian, Yasir Qadhi @ Muslim Matters.)
Of course, most mosques in the west do not have minarets and never have done. Minarets are there to issue the call to prayer publically. We don’t do that in the west in most places, because we are a minority and most people do not want to hear it. Things may be different in some northern towns, but in London there are some mosques which have minarets and which give the public call at Friday prayer times. Mosques do not need minarets anyway. Even many new, purpose-built ones, such as the very fine mosque in Westbourne Park, London, do without them.
What it represents is that a wealthy and educated European country can vote for a constitutional amendment based on bigotry. There are just four minarets in the whole country, which are not (at least not all) great big spikes piercing the sky, but low-rise, unobtrusive and sympathetic structures. Minarets have been depicted as militaristic symbols of aggression, when in fact Muslim immigrants want religious buildings that have the same features as back home, which is why they erect minarets even when they have no intention to use them, at least immediately, for their traditional purpose (in some places, minaret-like clock towers are erected, as is the case here in Kingston). In many Muslim countries, many mosques other than the major ones have small minarets if they have one at all, as I saw when I stayed in the old part of Cairo in 1999.
The level and stupidity of the bigotry is as astounding as it was during the “debate” over the headscarf ban in France in 2004. Feminists described them as male power symbols and there have been repeated attempts to link minarets with the oppression of women, including female genital mutilation, which is in fact not practised in most of the countries from which the Muslims in Switzerland originate, such as the Balkans; some idiotic housewife named Julia Werner, from the same town where the minaret whose proposal caused the fuss is, or was meant to be, located said:
If we give them a minaret, they’ll have us all wearing burqas. Before you know it, we’ll have sharia law and women being stoned to death in our streets. We won’t be Swiss any more.
Related to this was the “Stop! Yes!” poster, which featured an image of a woman in niqaab surrounded by minarets piercing a Swiss flag. By most accounts, very few women in Switzerland wear it, and mosques are mostly attended by men, and in places in Europe where there has been trouble involving Muslims (or people of Muslim origin), be it terrorism, crime or social disorder), regardless of whether it is actually anything to do with Islam or whether it is a general urban ghetto problem, most of it has come from men. So why is a picture of a woman used to illustrate opposition to a building which is mostly used by men? The whole argument is a straw man being used to hide the fact that the referendum is on Muslims.
Another red herring was the comparison with European courts supposedly banning the display of crucifixes in classrooms in Italy. Of course, Switzerland is not in Italy and most Swiss people outside one or two cantons in the south do not speak Italian, so what did it have to do with anything? Besides which, the display of crucifixes in classrooms is a different matter to allowing a minaret to be built in the street. Anybody can see that, even if (as with me) I do not see anything strange in a cross being on a wall in a classroom in a Catholic school, even if I personally dislike what it symbolises. The mere presence of a minaret does not force anyone to go into the mosque, or force Islam onto anyone. It just reflects that Muslims are there, and had the resources to build it.
This referendum could demonstrate to the Swiss right, and to anti-Islamic elements all over Europe, that motions to ban anything to do with Islam are potential vote-winners; it might also serve as a reminder to the more apathetic voters that if they don’t want something passed, they should vote against it themselves rather than relying on other people. On this particular measure, over 45% of the Swiss electorate neither cared enough one way or another to vote; whether they will on any other issue affecting Muslims and not affecting them directly remains to be seen. A Muslim leader was quoted in the news this morning as saying that he had heard talk of banning the headscarf or even the Qur’an. It could serve as a wake-up call to anti-racist elements across Europe, and perhaps even in Switzerland where, if you have enough signatures, you can get a referendum staged. This is not the case anywhere else in Europe; once a parliament passes a law, it will take another parliamentary vote to reverse it.
I have also seen some remarks (such as from Ginny and Aaminah) that indicates that this vote has reinforced American Muslim hostility to Europe. I can understand the perception that Europe is unremittingly hostile, and I do not believe that Muslim rights are secure anywhere in Europe right now; practically everywhere in western Europe except, as far as I know, Spain and Portugal, there are either already laws against one thing or another related to Muslim practice or significant elements in the country’s politics wanting to introduce them. I would like to remind them that no country in the world is an ideal place for Muslims to live; I am sure many of us can think of reasons why ours is the least worst place, including myself, but Muslims are threatened everywhere, including the USA.
Ultimately, there are tens of millions of us here in Europe and most of us have nowhere else to go, much as is the case for so many American Muslims. Switzerland is, at the moment, by far not the worst place in Europe to be a Muslim. We will have to see if this referendum results in any more repressive measures in Switzerland or if it leads to the pendulum swinging back the other way. The situation in the rest of Europe, where such laws can be enacted by parliaments at the perception of public will (often as manifested in the popular press) and cannot be reversed anything like as easily, should be a greater cause for concern. It is up to anti-racists to redouble their efforts and fight these bigots and demolish the stupid arguments and specious reasoning they commonly use.
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I see the CSS has been busy setting up a fake egg throwing stunts. Camerons phoney marketing war via Warsi
Very well said. Thanks for offering your point of view.
Sure, this is an example of discrimination, and surely discrimination should be fought, but in the meantime, Muslims could seize the oppurtunity to do something that has never been done in Switzerland before.
Beat them at their own game and build the most amazing Swiss Chalet style masjid ever imagined. Those buildings are amazing! Why not mimick them? It certainly would send a “we are not going anywhere message” to the world. Instead of being reactionary, we should do something creative and constructive. What a novel idea. Instead of constructing something that looks like it was transplanted from the Mid East, build a mosque that fits in PERFECTLY with its’ European surroundings. sabiwabi´s last blog ..I’m Just Sayin’
It seems to me that Muslims in the west tend to be delusional! So many Muslims came to America in the 70’s and 80’s (and continue to) in the hope that they would be “free”, and “liberated”, but upon arrival they quickly are treated like second-class citizens.
I have seen in my short lifespan so many Muslims attempt to “please” the “peace loving/freedom giving” Westerners, and yet our Lord says:
“And never will the Jews or the Christians approve of you until you follow their religion. Say, “Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the [only] guidance.” If you were to follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, you would have against Allah no protector or helper.”
When will Muslims in the west realize that kissing taghut rear will be of no benefit.
The one great thing about America, that certainly is rare within the socialist world of Europe, is that we are allowed to have “these here weapons” without any restrictions! Alhamdulillah!
I personally think if Muslims are going to be dumb enough to stay in the west, they should prepare for the oppression the “peace loving/freedom offering” fascist Amerikan and Europeans have to offer!
This was not unexpected, and the Muslims should wake up and realize that we are the new “jew” of Europe, and the new “nigger” in America. Abu Layth´s last blog ..Eid Mubarak
They’ve made the adhan into a protest now. I think Muslims should protest now with it.
I guess soon they’ll be tearing down those mosques eh?
To be fair, if you gave the same opportunity to people here in the UK, you would have got the same response of “No to mosques/minarets”.
Dawud, The “Jews” and “niggers” you mentioned paid a price, yet the majority of Muslims are ill informed and ill disciplined that they could not avoid breaking their fasting with blood dates from Yehudistan. Compare that to the misery black folks went through to abandon buses for the rights to be treated equal as paying passengers.
Why do we Muslims not import meat from Halal certified countries, but we choose to empower the same slaughter houses that give us Geert Wilders?
If people do not recognise reality as they delude themselves about the existence of “Halal Meat”, they wouldn’t have capacity to recognise oppression when they see one.
I think there is a lot we Muslims can do to counter this bigotry.
First, Muslims have to stop being reactive and start being proactive.
I did an MBA analysis of the Swiss Minaret ban, and this is my take on it.
http://mezba.blogspot.com/2009.....t-ban.html
Second, minarets are not essential to a mosque. Perhaps we should keep the big picture in mind. Mezba´s last blog ..An MBA Analysis of the Swiss Minaret Ban
Assalamualaikum
@sabiwabi
genius idea !!
@Abul Layth
Agree with your point about guns. We in uk/europe think we are so safe because nobody (except criminals) have guns,when in reality the only people historically who did not possess weapons were slaves or conquered peoples. However all is not quiet on the western front. Guns were confiscated from Residents of New Orleans in the wake of Katrina and people just handed them over without even a whimper and to top it off they have not had them back even today! Lets hope the rest of America has a wee bit more backbone when the time comes.
I personally believe that short of a miracle, the rising tide of anti-Islamic sentiment from the unwashed of europe has only just begun. I see our very own kristallnacht happening soon unless we get our act together. I know it sounds like hysteria,but if I had said ten years ago that we would be debating in 2008 whether niqab should be banned in the UK you would have said the same.
Maslaama
I agree with Abu Layth. It’s high time for a de-westernization campaign and calling their “culture” out for the inferior abyss that it is. It is the height of hypocrisy for Europeans to demand that Muslims accept becoming second and third class citizens while they can go around building their own institutions in the Islamic world(as if present day colonization isn’t enough).It’s obvious that there’s enough of them who want a purely adversarial relationship with Muslims so lets return the favor with interest. Lets not forget that the main driving force of global Islamophobia are judeofascists. Take a look at this :
http://www.searchlightmagazine.....;story=274
thanks for sharing your valueable point of view with us brother.
I just think by now Muslims in the West should know where they stand. The West, particularly Europe has been carrying out psychological operations to test how far they can push the muslims… banning the hijaab, the cartoon issue and now this. Each time there has been a larger debate between Muslims than between Muslims and non-Muslims. Over time Muslims become desensatised, as an example..the reaction of Muslims after the publications of cartoons in Denmark will never be seen again should another offense be made. Salman ´s last blog ..Touch of Green
If European countries are worried about Muslims “taking over”, why not just stop immigration from Muslim countries? There’s no need whatsoever to interfere with the religious practice of Muslims already in Europe.
Muslim immigrants in Europe have a higher birth rate primarily because they are immigrants, not because they are Muslims. This is shown by the fact that white European immigrants in the early-20th-century United States also had higher birth rates than people born in the US.
Judeo fascists are just opportunists who take advantage of what is known as “psychological projection”. There interests is just to obfuscate their hate crimes with more hate so we all become demented psychopaths like that crazy Abu Layth was suggesting(becoming more militant).
The other trouble is, religions are all inventions of schizophrenics who just could not cope with reality. So turning people to religion only makes matters worse. Socially, it is much healthier to lessen issues concerning religion never mind going out to vote on a religious issue as the Swiss had done.
LeedsLad
By any chance are you a former Muslim?
Br Yusuf, salaam…
Just wanted to say Mabruk on your Brass Crescent Award! Well deserved!
Sabah sabiwabi´s last blog ..“A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss”
I think you’re the one suffering from a bit of personality disorder, “leedslad.” You opinion of religion is of course pure rubbish. I see nothing “militant” in AbuLayth then a simple reflection of concern and reality for the Muslim community. Go back to sleep if you can’t handle the facts. DrM´s last blog ..The Hajj destroys Swine Flu hysteria
Salaams, Interesting point of view Br Yusuf. Whether or not minarets are needed on mosques the whole point of the campaign and the result is to reject Islam and Muslims.
For another good point of view have a look at Karima Hamdan’s latest piece on Ummahpulse.com http://www.ummahpulse.com/inde.....Itemid=112
“We in uk/europe think we are so safe because nobody (except criminals) have guns”
Actually, every Swiss male in the armed forces- which is most of them- has an automatic rifle and ammunition at home.
@Abu Layth
I don’t see any real point in mass gun ownership. 200 years ago an armed populace could successfully resist tyranny, but now there is too much disparity between the kind of weaponry practical for individuals (basically small arms) and the kind of weaponry that the state has (artillery, tanks, and warplanes). Did private arsenals achieve anything for those at Ruby Ridge or Waco?
In recent times, revolutions have only succeeded if the armed forces turned against the regime — this is what happened in Iran in 1979, and ten years later in Romania.
Assalamualaikum
@thersites good point. Its also a argument against those who say more guns equals more crime because you don’t hear much of that in switzerland.Probably less prozacheads.
@george Carty I still think a bullet to the head is something to think about.Your point about disparity is true however I just don’t see the US army mowing down the people enmasse.
Its still a better situation than the uk where all we have is a wing and a prayer.
I agree that it is undesirable, it just goes what Churchill said that “it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms” may be true.
If we had that sort of voting in the UK we would have Hanging back and public castration of anyone who so much looked at a child in a funny way.
BTW Congratulations on your Brass Crescent Award, I have updated your Wikipedia page to reflect this, and to think a week ago you did not think you were very notable.
I don’t see any real point in mass gun ownership. 200 years ago an armed populace could successfully resist tyranny, but now there is too much disparity between the kind of weaponry practical for individuals (basically small arms) and the kind of weaponry that the state has (artillery, tanks, and warplanes).
How about the battle of Culloden? A clear victory for the establishment and a bloody defeat for the dissidents.
What is the Islamic policy on bearing arms? I know that the Prophet and his companions had their own swords.
and mosques are mostly attended by men..
Quite. That is why non-Muslim women despise Islam - it is a religion that relegates women to subordinate roles.
Interesting to see such a long article on minarets in Switzerland. Mosques aren’t banned. Muslims aren’t banned. Yet such a long article.
I have yet to see even a paragraph from Indigo Jo or any other Muslim on the real, routine persecution of Christians in all Muslim countries.
Still, I’ll take seriously what Muslims have to say on this or any subject when they say it standing in front of the first church - first tiny chapel even - in Mecca.
Maybe we as Muslims can use this incident to look inside ourselves and wonder whether we helped to contribute to this breakdown in community relations. When Muslims construct a mosque, I hope that most of them consult the neighbours and take their thoughts into account. Look at the ‘mega mosque’ project in Newham. We have to ask if the local people are being involved in planning decisions. Is it wise or practical to have a mosque of such size? To be honest, I can see why a non-Muslim might be apprehensive of such a project, especially when they have not been consulted or involved.
As Muslims we should aspire to be the very best of people, wherever we choose to live. Countries in Europe should want to have Muslim communities. Is the fact that they don’t solely due to xenophobia and mistrust alone? To be sure, a core of people will choose to be hostile towards Muslims, (which is ok along as they don’t cause any harm or disturb the peace). However, while many of us were born and brought up here, the community itself is a largely new phenonmenon. It would be great if we could use this opportunity to redouble our efforts to review how best to conduct ourselves (when building mosques or in other matters)in a way that assures our neighbours that we are here to serve God and society , not to take or to threaten.
Mitsurgi - good points. As regards the “megamosque”, which doesn’t seem to have got beyond a “mud-o-mosque”, you may know already that many local Muslims, as well as non-Muslims, opposed it.
Rather, a small group of sectarians who were looking for another opportunity to stick the knife into the Tablighi Jamaat to continue a hundred year vendetta opposed it. Also, some Muslims (including me) opposed that particular design because it was ugly. That doesn’t mean that general Muslim opinion was against the idea of the TJ having a decent building.
When focusing on a topic like this which has caused heavy polarization it is only fair to examine both sides. I have read comments from non-Muslim Europeans and also naturally from Muslims being a Muslim myself.
Switzerland has not banned Islam or banned something which is a direct religious obligation or commandment for Muslims.
The Swiss government has been very apologetic about this whole affair realizing correctly the damage that it would cause to the landlocked mountainous country.
Yes, the support for the ban was motivated by ignorance, racism, prejudice and Islamophobia, there is no denying that.
However what needs to be done now is to examine on what should be done. The Muslim community in Switzerland consist of a lot of people from the Balkans and Turkey, two regions where people view Islam as a culture-specific Islam. Turks are notorious for their hatred of Arabs and their desire to make “their” Islam, purely connected to being Turkish. Instead of attacking non-Muslim Europeans who by and large are fair-minded tolerant people we Muslims need to focus on self-reform and returning to our religion. I have a Danish non-Muslim friend who has a very positive opinion of Muslims, and I was very offended at the wholesale vilifcation of Denmark that took place by many during the cartoon scandal.
The Muslim community in Switzerland needs to engage in constructive discussion and engagement with the host community in which it resides.
By the way people shouldn’t take this minaret mosque too personally as many people in Switzerland are known for their strong hostility to each other e.g. Swiss French v Swiss Germans. So hostility to another group is even less surprising.
I adore the little back-to-back house masjid in Huddersfield — it’s one of my face mosques, but a Swiss Chalet style masjid? Surely the stuff of nightmares!
I was personally shocked and very depressed and saddened about this at first. After a bit of thought, I see it as a consistent pattern of the uncivilised European ugliness that we have seen many times before in history. The pattern is clear. Wars on Muslim countries, impending war on Iran, rampant Islamophobia, Muslim civilians in Israeli concentration camps, bans on minarets in Europe…it all sounds like a remix from the times of the earlier crusades.
And here we have the premature talk of some posters to take up arms, but these are probably the same posters who have such a big chip on their shoulders and such a short fuse that they would probably be violent in any eventuality anyway. The point I would personally take from all this is that we should be watchful of the yet another uncivilised phase of European history unfold. And we should increase our prayers and use our faith to have unity and agreement between ourselves and act with strength and compassion. We have talk from some posters to go with the flow and build even better Mosques under the new uncivilised “building regulations” – these posters would probably tippex out their own ethnicity and identity to blend in; and one wonders what else they would be prepared to do to go with the flow. We still have talk about the rights and wrong of it all! The burka, the hijab, the Muslim school, the minaret…women’s rights, “macho” male Muslims, feminists, left wing fascists, BNP, pig faced Geert, pickled faced pickled brained Melanie, Mosques in Marseille and Germany….etc..etc! The confused melting pot of a list goes on and on and we still have those who talk about the logic of it all. The logic is clear – take a non-essential token in Islam, rip it to pieces and watch with glee. People in Europe will ask why followers of this faith, Islam are being persecuted in Europe. My advice to the people of Europe is that the reason Islam is being persecuted is in The Quran. Read it and if God allows, it will touch your heart and soul and you will know why. My thought is that the Minaret ban is just a small sign of big things to come. I hope that we Muslims are able to unite. One thing that urgently needs to stop is how American Muslims and European Muslims keep saying how its better over there or over here. It is not. Period. We are all the same colour to our Lord AND to our hosts. We are all Muslims in non-Muslim lands.
People in Europe will ask why followers of this faith, Islam are being persecuted in Europe.
No they won’t because they aren’t. Persecuted? Because you can’t have a minawwett? Didums.
was it
“…pickled faced pickled brained..”
that upset that poster….
;-)
People in Europe will ask why followers of this faith, Islam are being persecuted in Europe. “Discriminated against” maybe, but isn’t talk of Muslims being “persecuted” an exaggeration?
Up until about a couple of hundred years ago or so Muslims weren’t allowed to live in European countries at all! (Even the Ottoman ambassadors had to be Christians.)
THAT’s persecution…
“Discriminated against” maybe, but isn’t talk of Muslims being “persecuted” an exaggeration?
…….no
Salams love this post. Just saw it because of Internet out at home. More once I have Internet more than on phone
[…] by Ginny on December 5, 2009 Am wondering why people are getting so offended about my and others’ comments, regarding not wanting to go to […]
[…] Liddle gets basic facts wrong. He claims that “57 per cent of Swiss people voted to ban the building of any more minarets in their country”. In fact, the true figure was 57% of those who voted, which was 53.4% of the population — that is to say, 30.44% of the population voted for the ban. There were two other proposals on the same ballot, and the turnout for one of the others (on banning all arms exports) was 53% according to Swissinfo (that could be a rounded-down figure, of course). It certainly reflects that there was a substantial core of support for it, but even if Liddle’s figure was accurate, it is still not a thumping majority. Whether such a vote reflects bigotry or not can be gauged by the kinds of arguments and imagery used to support it, which in the case of Switzerland included a lot of irrelevances and stereotypes. […]