Zurich cantonal authorities have decided not to ban the wearing of veils in schools. The cantonal parliament rejected by 104 votes to 65 a motion put forward by the rightwing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) which wanted to ban the veil in places of education “in order to makes Swiss values respected in schools”. The motion…
Leading Turkish-German director Fatih Akın has said he will boycott the Swiss premiere of his new film as a protest against Sunday’s referendum vote to ban the construction of minarets in the country. In an open letter, Akın voiced his dismay and complained that the Swiss ban contradicted his belief in the “harmonious co-existence of…
Banning the construction of minarets is more likely to serve the cause of religious fanatics than to halt extremism, the Swiss justice minister said on Thursday. Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf told a news conference in Bern that banning minarets would infringe basic human rights and endanger religious peace. A nationwide vote on the issue is to be…
A Swiss National Science Foundation program has found that most Muslims living in Switzerland—the second largest religious community here—advocate bringing Imam training here, as do Swiss authorities, universities and legal experts. It’s a question that points to larger issues regarding social integration for an immigrant community. Christoph Uehlinger is a professor of religious studies at…
ZURICH – Amid a heightened debate over the construction of Muslim minarets in Switzerland, cantonal authorities in Zurich are assessing the suitability of health, education, penal and social services for the Muslim minority. “We will try to find out if the services provided by the cantonal authorities allow religious freedom for Muslims,” Dr Thomas Widmer…
