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…
The former spokesman of the Mosque in Geneva, Hafid Ouardiri, is considering launching an initiative to help Muslims integrate themselves into Swiss society. He shared this idea in an interview on Wednesday in the weekly publication “GHI.” “We hope to utitilize the tools of citizenship to participate in public debate,” he emphasized in a column…
While there is no great threat of Islamic terrorism in Switzerland, its likelihood rose over the last year, according to a recent report by the Swiss federal police. The decentralisation of Islamic terrorism and Europe’s transformation from recruiting and propaganda ground to combat area are two major reasons for this. No act or preparation for…
Zurich’s Muslim organisations have decided to fight prejudice by adopting a groundbreaking charter that underlines their commitment to Swiss values. The document, the first of its kind in Switzerland, aims to improve the integration and the image of Muslims. Ismail Amin, president of the umbrella association of Zurich’s Islamic organisations, said that a study carried…
