In the past I've gently tiptoed into the difficult waters of Muslim construction projects especially when the early morning call to prayer is imposed on a wider now-Muslim population. I certainly don't believe that the minarets now being built in many local communities are intended to be silent forever.
This is not a clear cut issue balancing the right to privacy and peace by some sections of the community against the right of others to practice and proclaim their faith. This is clearly an issue which will be exploited by those who seek confrontation on all sides.
I've never been to Switzerland but I am told that the Swiss are not quite the tolerant people often imagined. The reports of the Swiss plebiscite on the construction of minarets represents a worrying and sinister development. This seems to be something of a non-issue in Switzerland. What is disturbing is that the final result apparently contradicted the expectations of the opinion pollsters with more people actually voting for the ban than had been admitted to in polling.
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4 comments:
"I've never been to Switzerland" Good. Then stay out of our politics.
I love these anonymous posters who show such conviction.
I think that there is good reason to be concerned at this vote. Perhpas Anonymous should stay out of the religion of people of different convictions to him/herself.
It is a vote that will encourage those who wish to exclude and divide - as such it is everyone's business!
Thank you for your grown up comment "anonymous". Other readers may be interested to know that "anonymous" posted from a BT service provider based in the United Kingdom.
From which we may conclude that there are no Swiss in the UK...?
Minarets, like bell towers are about a prominent witness and imposition of that particular faith, physically,intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. Is the call to prayer to be the Angelus (no longer practised much), the Sunday Morning Matins bells, the Adhan or an atheist silence?
What of the Adhan? It goes like this:
Allah is greater (than anything else [implied])X4
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah X2
I bear witness that Muhammed is Allah's messenger X2
Rush to prayer X2
Rush to success X2
Allah is Greater X2
There is no God but Allah.
All to be repeated five times a day between Dawn and Dusk as loud as possible so that all may hear and respond.
My source for this is a standard Islamic Educational text.
Is it possible that the Swiss, being at least nominally Christian and home to significant leaders and thinkers of the Reformation, felt that this was taking tolerance one step too far?
That all this talk of racism and frightened Muslims is just so much multi-cultural propaganda?
Sometimes choices are simple.
Jesus is Lord;
Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God, the Lord is One;
Allah is Greater;
or
Richard Dawkins?
Consequences are usually more complex.
Anonymity when criticisng Islam is often wise.
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