Three members of Switzerland’s seven-strong cabinet have publicly condemned a campaign by rightwingers to ban the construction of minarets On Monday Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, who also holds the rotating Swiss presidency, told journalists in Geneva that such an initiative “could put Swiss interests and Swiss citizens in danger”. Her comments came a day after…
The campaign recently launched by representatives of the Swiss right to prohibit the construction of minarets on mosques “puts the security of the Swiss in danger” according to the President and Swiss Minister of Immigrant Affairs, Micheline Calmy-Rey. Politicians of the Union d_mocratique du centre (UDC, right populist) and Union d_mocratique f_d_rale (UDF, Christian right)…
Tariq Ramadan, professor at Oxford and the University of Rotterdam, participated in a conversation on state regulation of mosques in Switzerland. He acknowledged the growing fears of Swiss society of Muslims in their midst, yet urged thoughtful policy. In an effort to clarify the situation and appease tensions, Ramadan cites the work of sociologist Jocelyn…
Swiss conservative Christoph Blocher, head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police, said he is unconvinced of the benefits of a conference to discuss Islam and integration. While he expects dialogue to occur, he is unsure what the appropriate forum would be. Blocher supports a ban on minarets which he argues have no place…
Right-wing politicians from Switzerland’s largest political party on Thursday launched a campaign for a referendum to ban the construction of minarets on mosques, claiming they symbolized an Islamist bid for power. The group, including more than half of the Swiss People’s Party’s (SVP) parliamentarians, said in a statement that a ban would help stop “attempts…
